WASHINGTON — The United States backed South Korea’s decision to reject North Korea’s ultimatum and keep its soldiers on high alert ahead of the North’s deadline for an attack.
The U.S. is “steadfast” in its commitment to South Korea and together will continue the joint annual military exercises until Aug. 28 to heighten readiness, Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear told reporters. Earlier, there was a brief suspension of the exercises, which began Monday.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s government on Friday refused to heed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s demands to stop broadcasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts across the border by 5:30 p.m. in Seoul on Saturday or face dire consequences. Kim’s troops deployed “multiple rocket launchers” and “entered into a wartime state” after trading fire with the South on Thursday.
This week’s confrontation is one of most serious since Kim rose to power in 2011, sending South Korean stocks to a two-year low. The won retreated 0.8 percent Friday as China expressed concern, urging both sides to avoid escalation.
