US vows full military defence of allies against North Korea

The United States will make full use of its military capabilities, “including nuclear, conventional and missile defence,” to defend its allies Japan and South Korea, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Tuesday as she warned North Korea against escalating its provocations.
Sherman said North Korea’s repeated firings of ballic missiles and artillery in recent weeks were provocative military actions. North Korea has described them as practice runs for the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Miner Cho Hyundong, from left, Japanese Vice Foreign Miner Takeo Mori and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman participate in a joint news conference after their trilateral meeting Wednesday in Tokyo. (AP Photo)
“This is deeply irresponsible, dangerous, and destabilising,” Sherman said in talks in Tokyo with South Korean First Vice Foreign Miner Cho Hyundong. The two officials met ahead of a three-way meeting with their Japanese counterpart on Wednesday.
It would be the second in-person meeting of the three officials since conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in May, signalling an improvement in difficult ties between Japan and South Korea.
A year ago, Japanese and South Korean vice miners declined to participate in a joint news conference after three-way talks in Washington, leaving Sherman to make a solo media appearance.
Sherman said North Korea needs to understand that the US commitment to the security of South Korea and Japan is “ironclad.” “And we will use the full range of US defence capabilities to defend our allies, including nuclear, conventional and missile defence capabilities,” she said.
Cho, during his talks with Sherman, raised concern that a new North Korean nuclear weapons policy adopted in September increases the possibility of its arbitrary use of nuclear weapons.
“This is creating serious tension on the Korean Peninsula,” Cho said. Sherman met earlier Tuesday with Japanese Vice Foreign Miner Takeo Mori and reaffirmed the further strengthening of the Japan-US alliance and other shared goals, including the complete denuclearisation of North Korea and their joint response to China’s increasingly assertive actions in the region.
Japanese Defense Miner Yasukazu Hamada recently said North Korea is believed to have achieved a miniaturisation of nuclear warheads while significantly advancing its missile capabilities diversifying its launch technologies, making interceptions more difficult.
Japanese officials have also warned of a possible nuclear test North Korea in the near future.The Japanese and South Korean officials met together later Tuesday and discussed ways to improve their countries’ ties, which were badly strained over disagreements stemming from Japanese wartime actions, including abuse of Korean forced labourers and coercing girls and young women to work in brothels for Japanese soldiers