THE US Defense Secretary has warned America is ready to “fight tonight” in the wake of North Korea’s threats and reported plans to launch a nuke missile test.
Lloyd Austin’s comments came just days after the North Korean dictatorship warned the US to stop military drills taking place in South Korea.
It also comes after US intelligence learned that North Korea has allegedly been planning to carry out its “first nuclear weapons test” since President Joe Biden took office.
On the first day of a three-day trip to South Korea, Secretary Austin stressed that the alliance between the nations has “never been more important” given the “unprecedented challenges” from North Korea and China.
“Our force remains ready to ‘fight tonight,’ and we continue to make progress toward the eventual transition of wartime Operational Control to a [Republic of Korea]-commanded, future Combined Forces Command,” the defense secretary said.
“While meeting all the conditions for this transition will take more time, I’m confident that this process will strengthen our alliance.”
Austin is the first cabinet-level U.S. official of the Biden Administration to visit South Korea.
He is joined on the trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
During a joint press conference on Wednesday with his counterpart Minister Suh Wook, Austin addressed the US military’s commitment to the “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
He also focused on “the importance of maintaining military readiness” against a North Korean threat.
Austin and Minister Wook reaffirmed that North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile issues are “a priority for the alliance.”
Disputes over sanctions have led to a stalemate in the US-led diplomacy focused on these weapons.
Experts debate whether the US should compromise on a deal that would see North Korea freeze nuclear activities, in return for relaxing sanctions that would allow it to grow its arsenal.
The US and South Korean militaries recently restarted springtime drills in South Korea but were immediately condemned by Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister.
The drills had been suspended last spring due to the coronavirus.
On Monday, Kim Yo Jong said in a statement to state news agency KCNA that if the Biden administration “wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step.”
“We take this opportunity to warn the new U.S. administration trying hard to give off powder smell in our land,” she added.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the administration doesn’t “have a direct comment or response to the comments made from North Korea.”
She added that the “focus right now is on working with and coordinating with our partners and allies on – on a range of issues, including security in the Korean Peninsula.”
Psaki said that the Biden administration has tried “a number of channels as we always have had” to reach out to North Korea since inauguration.
Yet she admitted that these attempts have been ignored.
North Korea confirmed Wednesday that it has been dodging Biden’s calls.
“The U.S. has tried to contact us since mid-February through several routes including New York,” North Korean First Vice Minister Choe Son Hui said in a statement.
US officials revealed that since Biden took office, North Korea has been planning a potential nuclear weapons test.
A senior US official told CNN that the outcome of Blinken and Austin’s meetings will help North Korea decide whether to follow through with the “planned tests.”
Secretary Austin will remain in South Korea until Friday as further diplomatic and security talks are conducted.
