Commander of US Forces Korea Gen. Robert Abrams testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington.(Photo by: Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] North Korea is not showing any signs of provocation, such as rolling out a new strategic weapons system, the head of US Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday, while insisting the impoverished North may be too caught up in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and the amplified effects of sanctions.
"There's people suggesting that perhaps there'll be a rollout of a new weapons system. Ah, Maybe. But we're not seeing any indications right now, any sort of lashing out," USFK Commander Gen. Robert Abrams said in a webinar hosted by Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).His remark comes amid widespread speculation that the North may unveil a new weapons system in the near future to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its ruling Workers' Party on Oct. 10.
CSIS has reported what it claimed to be signs of a possible test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile at North Korea's main submarine shipyard in northeastern Sinpo. Abrams argued rumors about the UNC coming between inter-Korean exchanges, including a proposed reunion of separated families in North Korea's Mount Kumgang, were simply "not true."