27 September 2017

News Story: Top U.S. general says DPRK has not changed military posture

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has not changed its military posture despite heated exchange of rhetoric with the United States, a top American general said on Tuesday.

"While the political space is clearly very charged right now, we haven't seen a change in the posture of North Korean (DPRK) forces and we watch that very closely," Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee.

"What we haven't seen is military activity that would be reflective of the charged political environment," Dunford added.

Asked about his assessment of DPRK's ballistic missile program, the general said the country will "soon" have the capability to strike U.S. mainland with an intercontinental ballistic missile.

"Whether it's three months or six months or 18 months, it is soon, and we ought to conduct ourselves as though it is just a matter of time, and a matter of very short time, before North Korea (DPRK) has that capability," Dunford told lawmakers.

Read the full story at Xinhua