Amid tension on the Korean Peninsula, France, US, UK, and Japan are in an advanced stage for a military exercise in the region. This follows the deployment of France’s Mistral Amphibious Assault carrier in Nagasaki, Japan on April 29.
This is coming at a period of looming nuclear war in the region; the deployment sends a strong message to both china and North Korea. The French and UK presence is a signal of NATO’s support for South Korea and Japan. The aim of these allied military forces is to pressurize North Korea to suspend its catastrophic nuclear program.
The DPRK is believed to have successfully developed short and medium range ballistic missiles capable of hitting South Korea and Japan. Analysts also believe that the country is still years ahead of developing a long-range ballistic missile that could hit the US mainland.
North Korea's allies
China and Russia have not shown the strong commitment to dousing the tension posed by North Korea’s nuclear activities. China is rather concerned with the deployment of US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in South Korea than pressurizing the DPRK from abandoning its destructive nuclear weapons program. Russia, on the other hand, is in support of China and North Korea with its recent calls for the de-escalation of tension and the maintenance of status quo.
The US urge China to act
US President Donald Trump’s recent meeting with Chinese President Xi echoed the need for China to act swiftly by pressurizing its ally to back down on its nuclear ammunition program. Trump has threatened unilateral action should China fail to act. The US as offered a good trade concession to China on Taiwan to pressure Pyongyang.
North Korea's defiance
In an apparent disregard to mounting pressure to abandon its nuclear program, Pyongyang on Saturday test fired another failed ballistic missile shortly after Rex Tillerson, the US Secretary of State said that Pyongyang’s ballistic missile program risks catastrophic consequences should China refuse to act.
Tillerson re-echoed his earlier position that there is a real threat of a nuclear attack on South Korea and Japan and that the ability of North Korea to develop ballistic missiles capable of hitting the US mainland should not be underestimated.
South Korea has repeatedly called on the regime of Kim Jong Un to end its provocative acts and follows the path of cooperation with the UN directives.