High-level American envoys visiting Seoul say they are cooperating withregional allies to dissuade North Korea from the path of nuclearweaponry and back to dialogue aimed at disarmament. The delegation ismaking stops around Asia for consultations on how to respond to lastmonth's nuclear weapon test by the North.
U.S. DeputySecretary of State James Steinberg says Washington is working closelywith South Korea, Japan, China and Russia on measures to rebuke NorthKorea for its recent nuclear test.
"We need to take steps tomake clear to the North that the path it's on is the wrong one, butthat we are prepared, if they are prepared to change course, to enteran effective dialogue that will really lead to the complete andverifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," he said.
Steinbergmet with South Korean counterparts here in Seoul, Wednesday. It ispart of an Asian diplomatic tour with senior U.S. officialsrepresenting the Obama administration. He says a "range of options"are being considered to punish North Korea for its nuclear test lastmonth. He says no specific options have been ruled in or out,including financial sanctions targeting North Korean business interests.
NorthKorea's missile test last month was the second in the country'shistory. It was one of a series of actions that have escalatedtensions with the United States and the North's regional neighbors.
Manyanalysts see Pyongyang's confrontational strategy as an attempt byNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Il to reassert domestic control and laythe groundwork for a succession of power. South Korea's intelligenceagency informed lawmakers Tuesday the North's leader appears to havedesignated his youngest son as his eventual replacement.
NorthKorea is now reported to be planning test launches of mid-rangemissiles, as well as at least one long-range missile, hypotheticallycapable of reaching the United States. Pyongyang says not only will itnot return to talks aimed at getting rid of its nuclear weapons, butplans to reprocess more weapons material in the near future.
DanielSneider is with Stanford University's Shorenstein Asia-Pacific ResearchCenter. He says neither the Obama administration, nor any future one,can afford to recognize North Korea as a nuclear weapons nation.
"Itwould, for one thing, undermine our alliances with South Korea andJapan.. and, frankly it would set an increasing risk of serialproliferation in this region," he said. "It would give furtherencouragement to those - in Iran, first and foremost - who are on asimilar path, who have sought and gotten the help of North Korea to getthere. So we can't do that."
Separately, U.S. Air Forceofficers in South Korea said Wednesday they will soon retire the U-2spy plane used for maintaining surveillance of North Korea. They planto begin using unmanned aircraft, like the ones deployed inAfghanistan, instead.