SEOUL (Reuters) — President Barack Obama
said on Saturday the United States did not use its military might to
"impose things" on others, but that it would use that might if necessary
to defend South Korea from any attack by the reclusive North.
The North warned last month it would not rule out a "new form" of
atomic test after the U.N. Security Council condemned Pyongyang's
launch of a mid-range ballistic missile into the sea east of the
Korean peninsula.
Obama and South Korean President Park Geun-hye presented a united
front against North Korea at a joint news conference following their
summit on Friday, warning that they would respond firmly to any
"provocations" by Pyongyang which routinely threatens the United
States and South Korea with destruction.
"We don't use our military might to impose these things on others,
but we will not hesitate to use our military might to defend our
allies and our way of life," Obama told cheering U.S. forces at the
Yongsan garrison on a sunny spring morning.
"So like all nations on Earth, North Korea and its people have a
choice. They can choose to continue down a lonely road of isolation,
or they can choose to join the rest of the world and seek a future
of greater opportunity, and greater security, and greater respect — a future that already exists for the citizens on the southern end of
the Korean peninsula."
North Korea is already subject to U.N. sanctions over its previous
three atomic tests.
Recent satellite data shows continued work at the nuclear test site
in North Korea, although experts analyzing the data say that
preparations do not appear to have progressed far enough for an
imminent test.
Adding to tensions surrounding Obama's visit to South Korea, the
North announced on Friday it had detained a 24-year-old American
this month who demanded asylum after arriving in the country on a
tourist visa.
Obama is using his week-long Asia tour to try to ease doubts among
U.S. allies about his promise to "rebalance" military, diplomatic
and economic resources toward the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region.
He has sought to strike a balance between showing the United States
will be a counterweight to China without alienating Beijing, which
worries that Washington wants to contain its growth and influence.
Obama and Park also urged China, North Korea's main ally, to uses
its influence to help rein in its unpredictable neighbor.
Underscoring the vast differences between the economically dynamic
South and the impoverished North, Obama met earlier with a business
roundtable in Seoul where he hailed the benefits of a U.S.-South
Korea trade agreement that took effect in 2012.
Obama's visit came at a time when South Koreans remain preoccupied
with the aftermath of the sinking of a ferry carrying hundreds of
youngsters, one of the worst tragedies to hit the country in modern
times.
Stressing a deep U.S. bond with South Korea during his visit, Obama
has expressed condolences to Park and the Korean people. More than
300 people drowned or are missing and presumed dead after the April
16 sinking. Investigations are focused on human error and mechanical
failure.
Before visiting Seoul, Obama spent three days in Tokyo — the first
full state visit by a U.S. president since 1996 — on a visit meant
to show that the U.S.-Japan alliance, the main pillar of America's
security strategy in Asia, is solid at a time of rising tensions
over growing Chinese assertiveness and the North Korean nuclear
threats.
He is also visiting Malaysia and the Philippines.
(Writing by Nick Macfie; editing by Michael Perry)
