US warns North Korea will face tough response to provocative actions

ANKARA (AA) – The US on Monday warned North Korea will face a tough response to its provocative actions amid growing tension in the Korean Peninsula.

The US special representative for North Korea, Ambassador Sung Kim, met with his South Korean counterpart Noh Kyu-duk in Seoul and discussed Pyongyang's latest tactical guided missile test, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"We, of course, share your concerns about the DPRK's (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) escalatory actions and we will continue to work closely to respond responsibly and decisively to the provocative behavior in the united context and beyond," the agency quoted Kim as saying.

On Sunday, North Korea's state-run media said that the country test-fired a new type of tactical guided weapon, apparently as part of its effort to boost its nuclear capabilities.

Last month, North Korea also tested its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The US and South Korean envoys also expressed concerns about the expected North Korean provocative acts, including a nuclear test, on the 90th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, which will be observed on April 25, the report said.

"It is extremely important for the UN Security Council to send a clear signal to the DPRK that we will not accept its escalatory test as normal," the US envoy said.

However, Kim again reiterated his country's offer to North Korea for unconditional talks and said Washington is ready to talk with Pyongyang anywhere.

The South Korean special envoy said anything could be expected from North Korea.

"(We should) leave no room for any miscalculation on Pyongyang's part about the enduring strength of the ROK-US alliance," the agency quoted Noh as saying.

North Korea is under UN sanctions since 2006 for its nuclear program, which it has refused to abandon. Besides, Washington has imposed its own sanctions on the country, punishing the communist state for developing its defense capabilities.

Since last year, tensions have mounted in the Korean Peninsula as both the North and South conduct frequent military drills in a show of power.
This year alone, North Korea has conducted more than 10 missile tests, including that of a newly developed hypersonic missile.

On March 11, South Korean officials claimed that North Korea has started restoring tunnels at its nuclear site that were closed in 2018.

Some parts of the nuclear site were destroyed in the presence of foreign media ahead of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's first meeting with then-US President Donald Trump.

The development came after Kim threatened in January that the country will consider resuming "all temporally suspended" defense activities to bolster its defenses against the US.

He was apparently referring to Pyongyang's self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing, which has been in effect since 2017.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid