NEWSLINE AT NOON 12:00
Coming up on this Wednesday edition of Newsline at Noon,... a U.S.-based North Korea monitoring website says it′s highly unlikely the regime will conduct nuclear or missile tests in the coming months, citing limited activity at key test sites.
Senior diplomats from South Korea, China and Japan will meet in Seoul today to discuss trilateral cooperation ahead of a foreign ministers′ meeting scheduled for later this month.
Plus,... market watchers are expecting the Bank of Korea to announce a rate cut at its monthly policy meeting on Thursday, with the finance ministry remaining skeptical about the nation′s recovery momentum. These stories and more on Newsline at Noon.
It′s noon, Wednesday, March 11th, here in Korea.
Thanks for tuning in. Live from Seoul... I′m Eoh Jin-joo.
Good to have you with us,... I′m Mark Broome.
Title: N. Korea unlikely to conduct nuclear or long-range missile test: 38 North
Our top story this Wednesday lunchtime...
North Korea monitoring website 38 North says the country is unlikely to conduct a nuclear test or a launch long-range missile over the next few months.
Citing satellite imagery,... the U.S.-based think tank said... there are only signs of regular maintenance at North Korea′s Punggye-ri nuclear test site and... the Sohae Satellite Launching Station.
That said, the website acknowledges that the North Korean leadership could move forward quickly... with either a bomb test or missile launch... if it felt inclined.
There has been speculation the North might carry out a provocation in response to the ongoing annual joint military drills between South Korea and the United States.
North Korea sees those exercises as a rehearsal for war,... but Seoul and Washington insist... they are purely defensive in nature.
Title: U.S. commander calls for greater international cooperation to deal with N. Korea threat
A top U.S. military officer says... much more can be done to keep an unpredictable North Korea in check.
General Vincent Brooks is urging the United States, China, South Korea and Japan to work together on the issue.
This follows military talks between Washington and Beijing,... a channel of dialogue in which North Korea was rarely discussed before.
Kim Hyun-bin reports.
The U.S. Army Pacific commander General Vincent Brooks says North Korea came up in his discussions with Chinese military leaders during his recent visit to China.
In an interview with the Brookings Institution′s "Order from Chaos" blog on Tuesday, Brooks said he visited Beijing and Hainan last month and had meetings with China′s top generals,... but he did not elaborate on what the two sides said about North Korea.
However, he did emphasize the need for dialogue between the U.S., China, South Korea and Japan to formulate a coordinated policy to counter the North Korean nuclear and missile threat.
Brooks said the regime′s continual provocations and lack of transparency means there′s always the pot
