US adding fuel to fire on Korean peninsula

An analyst says the United States is inflaming the fire of North Korea’s war rhetoric thus moving ever closer to the possibility of serious military activity on the Korean peninsula.

The comment comes as North Korea says it is prepared to use “smaller, lighter and diversified” nuclear weapons if it is attacked by the US or neighboring South Korea.

The Thursday statement by Pyongyang was reportedly aimed at rebuffing the widely publicized US intelligence assessments that North Korean nuclear arms are too bulky and heavy to be deployed on ballistic missiles, The Los Angeles Times reports Thursday.

According to the report, although the US still does not believe that North Korean missiles can reach the American mainland and even its Hawaii Island state, its recent deployment of missile interceptors to Guam reflects “growing concerns” that North Korea has improved its missile capabilities in recent years.

Press TV has conducted an interview with Donald Hellman with the Jackson School of International Studies in Seattle to further discuss the issue. What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Mr. Hellman thank you for joining us. On one side we are hearing Washington say that we are taking threats seriously. On the other side we are seeing North Koreans taking to the streets saying we are going to prepare ourselves for a possible strike from the US or South Korea. So who is basically threatening who?

Hellman: Well, clearly the rhetoric on both sides is reaching unusual proportions; what is astonishing to me is that the rhetoric really does raise the possibility of serious military activity.

The threat of an attack directly on the United States is literally unlikely if not technically impossible. The only missile the North has that can possibly reach the West Coast of the United States has never even been tested as a missile; it launched a satellite a few months ago but they can reach both South Korea and of course Japan and possibly Iran with some accuracy.

The United States response which is meant to fly B2 bombers, stealth bombers and to continue the joint South Korean American military activities is simply a response in kind. It is not designed to soothe anything.

It is kind of astonishing that both parties would choose this kind of rhetoric and activity because the potential for provoking the nuclearization of Japan in South Korea which is of enormous concern to Beijing and China is one of the major byproducts.

Press TV: Well, the thing is a lot of people have been blaming the United States for what they say is the provocation of the situation especially when it comes to the stealth bombers, the B2 bombers and then more weaponization, military drills. Would you say that the United States is actually provoking North Korea?

Hellman: It’s not so much a provocation as a retaliation to this campaign, rhetorical campaign by the North. I am somewhat taken back that the United States choose a show of force in response to this rhetoric because clearly if the United States wished to attack North Korea it would be a very one-sided and quick affair, militarily.

And so the escalation or the retaliation by flying these bombers and continuing threats has really just poured gasoline on a fire which was created by responses that concerns from Pyongyang and we have added to that fire.