Escalation on Korean peninsula

I am not totally convinced that this can be disregarded - when there is this degree of escalation and tension (especially in combination with all the other flashpoints) that things can get out of hand very easily. There are UNSUBSTANTIATED reports that the Chinese have mobilised forces

Kerry says US will defend S. Korea and itself, as N. Korea threatens nuke facility restart

RT,

2 March, 2013

US Secretary of State John Kerry, in his meeting with South Korea's foreign minster, has pledged American commitment to defending the country against its northern neighbor, as Pyongyang threatens to open up all its nuclear facilities.

Kerry has called Pyongyang’s rhetoric of the past few days “unacceptable”, adding that the US was “perfectly clear” on its promise to defend itself and South Korea.

“We’ve heard an extraordinary amount of unacceptable rhetoric from the North Korean government in the past few days... the US will protect ourselves and our treaty partner ally, the Republic of Korea,” he said at a press conference after the meeting with Yun Byuang Se, South Korea’s foreign minister, in Washington. The two discussed the threat of war with Pyongyang.

Yongbyon is North Korea's main nuclear reactor, which was shut down in 2007 over the disarmament-for-aid deal.

The agreement was later stalled, and the KNCA news agency reported the country’s top officials as saying that the measure will boost North Korea's nuclear forces "in quality and quantity."

Work will begin "without delay’" to restart the facilities, which include a uranium enrichment plant and a graphite-rod reactor.

Over the weekend, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called nuclear weapons development a top priority.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) declared a ‘state of war’ with its southern neighbor, threatening pre-emptive attacks in case of any provocations, either from Seoul or Washington.

Nevertheless, despite numerous threats of attacks over the last week, Pyongyang did little to translate its war rhetoric into action.

However, the US and South Korea were quick to react. On Monday, Seoul changed its rules of engagement ordering its military forces to immediately respond to provocations from the DPRK.

Meanwhile, the US sent a destroyer into Korean coastal waters, following the deployment of F-22 stealth fighters.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has issued a statement Tuesday urging dialogue otherwise “this situation, made worse by the lack of communication, could lead down a path that nobody should want to follow.”

"Nuclear threats are not a game. Aggressive rhetoric and military posturing only result in counter-actions, and fuel fear and instability," United Nations Secretary-General said. "I am convinced that nobody intends to attack (North Korea) because of disagreements about its political system or foreign policy,” he added.

He also called on North Korean authorities to accept resolutions from the UNSC.

Seoul-based correspondent Joseph Kim says the US pursues its own interests when getting more involved in the conflict. It “continuously monitor[s] and gain[s] more influence in the region.”

“They are technically trying to get back to East Asia to be able to counter China and its growing power in terms of the economy. And why not use North Korea?” Kim told RT.

‘War of nerves shouldn’t turn into real one’ – Russian Foreign Ministry

The Russian Foreign Ministry has commented on the move, urging the sides in the conflict to find a peaceful solution to the crisis and pointing out that “the conflict between North and South Korea shouldn’t be misused.”

“Most importantly, this war of nerves shouldn’t turn into a real one,” said Grigory Logvinov, head of Russian delegation at six-party talks over North Korea nuclear issue.

“It’s time to stop any rhetoric, to refrain from all action which causes tensions to rise,” he said.

Finally, the ministry believes that there is still a chance the negotiations on the Korean nuclear program will resume.

These reports come from the Washington Free Beacon (a right-wiong think-tank), which is not a source to be relied upon

China mobilizing troops, jets near N. Korean border, US officials say

Fox News,

2 March, 2013

China has placed military forces on heightened alert in the northeastern part of the country as tensions mount on the Korean peninsula following recent threats by Pyongyang to attack, U.S. officials said.

Reports from the region reveal the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently increased its military posture in response to the heightened tensions, specifically North Korea's declaration of a "state of war" and threats to conduct missile attacks against the United States and South Korea.

According to the officials, the PLA has stepped up military mobilization in the border region with North Korea since mid-March, including troop movements and warplane activity.

China's navy also conducted live-firing naval drills by warships in the Yellow Sea that were set to end Monday near the Korean peninsula, in apparent support of North Korea, which was angered by ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills that are set to continue throughout April.

North Korea, meanwhile, is mobilizing missile forces, including road-mobile short- and medium-range missiles, according to officials familiar with satellite imagery of missile bases.

From NTD television (Falun Gong)