U.S. harbors no hostility toward N. Korea, joint exercises are purely defensive: State Dept.

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- The United States has no hostile intent toward North Korea and remains committed to engaging in dialogue with Pyongyang with no preconditions to discuss any issues that concern the reclusive country, a state department spokesperson reiterated Tuesday.

State Department Press Secretary Ned Price made the remark after a spokesman for the North Korean foreign ministry said the country will take "more powerful" steps should the U.S. and South Korea continue holding joint military exercises.

"This seems to be the DPRK reaching for another pretext for provocations it has already undertaken, potentially for provocations that it might be planning to take in the coming days or coming weeks," Price said of the remarks from the North Korean foreign ministry official, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Pyongyang earlier claimed joint military drills of South Korea and the U.S. had provoked its recent series of missile launches that began late September, an accusation earlier dismissed by Washington.

"The DPRK knows full well that the military exercises that we conduct are purely, purely defensive in nature, and they do nothing more than support the security of our allies in the region, in this case the ROK," the spokesperson added. ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.

Price reaffirmed U.S. commitment to engage in dialogue with North Korea.

"We have made very clear in our messages, private messages to the DPRK but also in our public message, that we harbor no hostile intent towards the DPRK," he said. "We, at the same time, are committed to the security of the ROK and our Japanese allies as well, and to our combined defense posture in accordance with our ironclad system of alliances."

The department spokesperson also noted the possibility of a North Korean nuclear test after National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Pyongyang could conduct its seventh nuclear test "at any time."

"We have said for a long time that they could conduct a nuclear test at anytime," Kirby said in a telephonic press briefing held earlier Tuesday.

Price said the North appears to have taken the steps "that would need to be in place were it to conduct another, seventh nuclear test."

North Korea conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017.

Should Pyongyang decide to conduct a nuclear test, there will be "profound consequences," said Price.

"Our message has been a very simple one: There would be profound costs, profound consequences if the DPRK were to take this dangerous, destabilizing step in contravention of not only U.N. Security Council resolutions but what it is hearing very clearly from countries around the world," he said.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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