“The Kim Jong-un regime has developed (military) capabilities that can reach beyond Seoul, Tokyo, Washington, DC, etc.,” said Paul LaCamera, commander of US Forces Korea, regarding North Korea’s development of solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
Speaking at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the 18th (local time), Commander LaCamera said, “The top priority (of US forces in Korea) is to protect the US homeland and our allies. The Korean War is not over and we are in a state of armistice,” he said.
On the 13th, North Korea test-fired a Hwasong-18 ICBM that uses solid fuel for the first time. When solid fuel is used in a missile, it is evaluated that it is difficult to detect signs of launch because the missile can be launched in a faster time than when liquid fuel is used.
When asked by a congressman about the impact of North Korea’s solid-propellant ICBMs, Commander LaCamera replied, “(It affects) our signal detection and warning (I&W) capabilities.” When asked if he meant more time to be able to detect signs and issue alerts, he said “yes.”
“We have not stopped him (Kim Jong-un) from developing this capability,” he said. “We need to focus on deterring him from deploying this capability.”
When asked, “Which of North Korea’s land, sea, and air forces could pose the greatest threat to North Korea’s nuclear capabilities?” Commander LaCamera cited intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests and said, “Land forces are the greatest threat.” said.
When asked by a congressman, “What leverage can China use to control North Korea if North Korea conducts provocations such as nuclear tests?” “I think China can put pressure on North Korea in that respect,” he replied.
Regarding China’s role in North Korea, he said, “I’ve never seen anything on the Korean Peninsula that doesn’t involve China or Russia’s involvement in North Korea or, frankly, in relation to South Korea.”
“Since they (China) have their own nationals in Korea, they think it will be in their best interest to get them out of the Korean Peninsula during the Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO),” he said.
In addition to this, Commander LaCamera answered “no” to the question, “Is there any objection from the alliance to the leaking of classified US documents that also contain information related to Korea?”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.