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David Stilwell, the US assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, answers questions from the audience following a lecture on US-China relations at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, on Dec. 12. (Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent)

The US sent a message to North Korea on Dec. 12 stressing that it could not accept “unfortunate, ill-advised behavior,” urging Pyongyang not to engage in long-range missile testing or other activities that raise tensions. Coming on the heels of a similar message at a UN Security Council meeting it convened a day earlier, the message is part of a series of remarks signaling both a warning and Washington’s hopes for dialogue with Pyongyang.

Following a Dec. 12 lecture on US-China relations at the US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), David Stilwell, the US assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, was asked about concerns that North Korea might test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In his response, Stilwell noted that the record since Donald Trump took office as US President in January 2017 showed a notable reduction in “unfortunate” behavior by North Korea since then.

“[Trump] wants to help build [the North Korean] economy,” he said.

“But there's also the reminder that we can't have any more of this unfortunate, ill-advised behavior, and that hasn't changed. That position is the same,” he added.

When asked how the US would react if North Korea launches an ICBM and China and Russia oppose further sanctions against it, Stilwell answered that it would be a question for the UN to answer.

“A nuclear North Korea is not something anybody really wants and a long list of UN Security Council resolutions support that,” he said. He also reiterated Trump’s message that the US has the opportunity to show North Korea a “different” path to help with its peace and prosperity.

In remarks the same day, Joint Staff Vice Director Navy Rear Adm. William Byrne stressed that North Korea had “made a commitment” to cease its long-range missile and nuclear weapon testing.

“We would hope that they would abide by those words,” he said.

When asked during a Pentagon briefing whether any signals of North Korea preparing for nuclear or missile testing had been detected, Byrne avoided a direct answer, insisting that he was “not going to share any classified information” or speak about specific signals or warnings. Stressing that the US takes North Korea’s rhetoric seriously, he added that it was working with its South Korean partners at “putting the appropriate defenses in place to meet that threat.”

“We hope for the best and we plan for the worst,” he said.

North Korea has been demanding a “new method of calculation from the US,” setting the end of 2019 as a deadline in its talks with Washington on denuclearization and corresponding measures. In response to the US’ message at the UNSC the day before urging North Korea not to engage in tension-raising activities, a statement by a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “We will never overlook such stance of the U.S. [. . .] discussing the issue of the DPRK in a bid to incite the atmosphere of pressurizing it at this sensitive time.”

“By holding the meeting, the US did [. . .] decisively helped us make a definite decision on what way to choose,” the statement added.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

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