USA urged on Friday North Korea to put an end to their “destabilizing” actions and return to diplomacy, after the firing of hundreds of shells near two border islands with South Korea.
“We call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea) to “refrain from further provocative and destabilizing actions and return to diplomacy,” said the State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, referring to the North by its official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
““We encourage the DPRK to engage in discussions on identifying ways to manage military risks and create lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula,” he said, reiterating that the United States “does not harbor any hostile intention towards the DPRK.”
North Korea fired about 200 artillery shells near two South Korean islands on Friday, in an event that he described as a “natural response” to maneuvers carried out in the area by South Korea.
This military escalation is one of the most serious recorded on the Korean Peninsula since 2010, when the North bombed Yeonpyeong.
China, which shares a border with North Korea and is the main political and economic support of that isolated Asian country, called for “moderation” to all parties and asked to avoid a further escalation.
