North Korea warns physical clash on peninsula a matter of time

Pyongyang criticizes US command expansion in Japan

The Korean Central News Agency said in a commentary Friday that the expansion of U.S. Forces Japan was transforming the command into a center capable of directing American and allied forces throughout the region. “Today, a physical clash in the Korean Peninsula region is no longer a question of whether it will occur but a question of when,” the state-run news agency said.

The commentary responded to remarks by U.S. Forces Japan commander Lt. Gen. Stephen Jost in a recent interview with Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. Jost reportedly said military planners should prepare on the assumption that a regional crisis was not a question of whether it would occur but when. He reportedly also said the command had added 215 personnel compared with the previous year to strengthen its capabilities.

North Korea claimed that U.S. troops stationed in Japan would be among the first reinforcements deployed to South Korea in the event of a conflict on the peninsula. “It cannot be denied that our republic is the target of this war command,” the commentary said.

North Korea also said Washington intended to use Japan’s Self-Defense Forces as a principal combat force in a broader Asia-Pacific conflict. The statements reflect North Korea’s repeated criticism of expanding security cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan.

The commentary also cited a combined sustainment exercise conducted by the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command from July 13 through Thursday. North Korea used insulting language to describe the South Korean military and portrayed the exercise as evidence of preparation for a prolonged regional conflict.

North Korea argued that what it described as increasing U.S. military pressure justified continued development of its nuclear arsenal. “The United States’ reckless military adventurism, which openly reveals its unchanging hostile intent and seeks to build large-scale offensive forces and the capability for prolonged, high-intensity operations, has led us once again to an irreversible final conclusion,” the commentary said. North Korea said that conclusion was that it must continue developing and advancing what it calls a nuclear deterrent for self-defense.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry deputy spokesperson Jang Yun-jung said at a regular briefing that the statement repeated North Korea’s longstanding argument that military cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan justified its possession of nuclear weapons. “North Korea reaffirmed its existing position of criticizing military cooperation among South Korea and the United States, the United States and Japan and the three countries while insisting on the legitimacy of its nuclear weapons,” Jang said.

U.S. Forces Japan is based at Yokota Air Base outside Tokyo. It oversees bilateral security coordination, joint exercises and readiness involving U.S. forces stationed in Japan. The United States has recently adjusted its command structure in Japan to improve coordination between U.S. and Japanese forces and strengthen its ability to respond to regional crises.