Tension is high on the Korean Peninsula with North Korea warning any moves to punish it at the United Nations would mean armed conflict, possibly nuclear war. South Korea and the US have urged Pyongyang to avoid fresh provocations and vowed to hold the regime accountable for the March sinking that killed 46 South Korean sailors. North Korea vehemently denies any role. “We face North Korean provocation from a position of profound strength,” US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell told reporters on Thursday after meeting with officials in Seoul. Campbell said the countries will demonstrate their strengthened resolve in a number of ways in coming days including at the UN Security Council where he said they ”are completely aligned.” At the bilateral level, the US will also continue to stand with South Korea on such measures as “appropriate and responsible joint military activities,” he said. South Korea and the US have announced plans for joint naval exercises near the site of the sinking, however, they have yet to take place.
Backed by the US and other allies, South Korea has taken punitive measures against North Korea, including trade restrictions, after blaming it for torpedoing the warship Cheonan near their disputed sea border on March 26. The North reacted angrily, declaring it was cutting off ties with Seoul and threatening to attack.
