North said to prepare offensive moves

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North said to prepare offensive moves

TOKYO - North Korea is increasing and modernizing its conventional weapons and forces near the Demilitarized Zone, said Peter Brookes, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs, in an interview published Thursday by a Japanese newspaper, the Nihon Keizai.

Mr. Brookes referred to North Korea's conventional weapons as the "fuse of a time bomb." While the weapons of mass destruction are important, he said, armies do not start hostilities with them. He added that reduction of the North's conventional weapons is the immediate task, to forestall use of mass-destruction weapons on the Korean Peninsula.

Mr. Brookes said that the movements of the North Korean People's Army in the past year shows that "they are readying for an offensive." He added, "The North Korean army has been moving closer to the Demilitarized Zone in the past few years." He ruled out upgrading weaponry of the U.S. forces stationed in South Korea for the time being, but stressed that the United States would be flexible in strengthening its military response capability toward the North.

In Seoul, officials at the South Korean Ministry of National Defense disputed Mr. Brookes' charge that North Korea was readying for an offensive. An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, "The North Korean army is pursuing modernization and upgrading artillery weapons and other machinery placed near the Demilitarized Zone."

The Bush administration has added reduction of conventional weapons to its agenda for talks. North Korea has rejected their inclusion.

by Oh Day-young

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