US general warns about North Korea's peace proposal
The commander of US forces in South Korea says there should be no illusions about North Korea's recent peace overtures.
Commander of the US Forces Korea (USFK) Vincent K. Brooks today affirmed that regional powers need to unite and be ready to fight against North Korea's recent "peace offensive", according toYonhap.
"Overall, we can be satisfied with the offers from Pyongyang, but we should only trust them to an appropriate level," General Brooks emphasized.
The USFK commander's warning came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said in his New Year's message that he was ready to talk to South Korea about the possibility of participating in the Winter Olympics. On January 3, Kim ordered the resumption of a border hotline, which had been cut off since February 2016, to discuss the issue with South Korea.
According to General Brooks, the proposals represent a “sincere” reconciliation effort by North Korea. However, they could also be a strategy to divide and block efforts by South Korea, the US, China, Russia and Japan to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
Mr. Brooks said that in the face of North Korea's peace moves, it is important for South Korea and the United States to maintain a strong and sharp alliance, and be ready to fight in case things take a negative turn.
