US watching tensions in Korean Peninsula with ‘great concern’

FILE: Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby speaks at a press briefing on the Afghanistan withdrawal at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Aug. 16, 2021. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)

WASHINGTON – The United States is watching growing tensions in the Korean Peninsula with “great concern,” a White House official said Monday, stressing ongoing efforts to ensure that America is “best-postured” to support South Korea.

National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby made the remarks as tensions have risen due to Pyongyang’s recent actions, including a military reconnaissance satellite launch, artillery drills, its sending of trash-filled balloons into South Korea and jamming of GPS navigation signals.

“Of course, we’re watching the increasing tensions with great concern,” Kirby told a press briefing at the Foreign Press Center in Washington.

“We have a treaty alliance with the Republic of Korea. It’s an alliance that we take seriously, continue to make sure that we, United States, are best postured to support our Korean allies, and that includes across the realm of national power, but certainly in terms of military capability, and we’ll continue to do that,” he added.

Kirby said that he does not have any military posture change in support of South Korea at the moment, but stressed that Washington is in “close communication” with South Korea on security matters.

The official also stressed the U.

S.’ continued openness to engage with Pyongyang.

“The offer to sit down with the North Koreans without preconditions stands. We continue to make that clear that we would be willing to sit down with the DPRK without preconditions to talk about the denuclearization of the peninsula, and to date, the Kim Jong-un regime has not taken us up on that offer,” he said.

DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“Instead, they continue to test their ballistic missiles. They continue to fire missiles into the sea. They continue to also conduct provocative, unnecessary actions towards the south, which again just reminds us and underscores how important security and stability there on the Korean peninsula is,” he added.

Concerns over security on the Korean Peninsula have persisted in the absence of any meaningful diplomacy aimed at removing, freezing, reducing or slowing North Korea’s nuclear and weapons of mass destruction. (Yonhap)