North Korea remains an ‘extraordinary threat,’ US defense official says

North Korea remains an acute threat to the Indo-Pacific region, a senior Pentagon official says, after Pyongyang blew up its liaison office with South Korea.

“As we’ve been starkly reminded in recent days, North Korea continues to present an extraordinary threat to the region and which demands our continued vigilance,” says David Helvey, the acting assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs.

“It’s hard to tell what’s going to unfold over the next few days and weeks. But I do think that it’s important to say that we remain vigilant against any types of threats and provocations,” says Helvey.

The demolition Tuesday of the liaison office in the Kaesong Industrial Zone — just across the border in Northern territory — came after Pyongyang vehemently condemned Seoul for anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by defectors into the North and raised tensions on the Peninsula.

— AFP