ARIRANG NEWS 18:00

Title: U.S. Pacific commander says U.S. is discussing THAAD deployment to S. Korea
Senior U.S. military officials have testified once again... that they′ve been discussing deploying a controversial U.S. missile defense system to the Korean peninsula.
This comes as North Korea has declared that it will not give up its nuclear program... as long as the U.S. continues to pose a threat.
Laah Hyun-kyung has more.
The U.S. military has been mulling over a potential Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD battery deployment to South Korea.
That′s according to U.S. Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Locklear during a U.S. senate committee hearing on Thursday, Washington time.
He said... the U.S. has made progress with Japan and South Korea... in terms of bringing ballistic missile defense capabilities to the Asia Pacific region.
Although not elaborating on what the discussions entailed and whom he meant by ′we′... he said "we′ve been in discussions" about a potential deployment of a THAAD battery on the Korean peninsula.
In response,... an unnamed South Korean defense ministry official said Friday... that Locklear probably meant internal discussions... because the Korean military has not engaged in any kind of talks about THAAD with the U.S.
However, when General Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea, who was also present at the hearing, was asked whether South Korea and the U.S. would push ahead with the plan despite China′s strong opposition... he replied that both countries seem to be taking various other impacts into account... adding that the decision process was underway.
The hearing comes as North Korea′s defense minister Hyon Yong-chol vowed to continue improving the regime′s nuclear capabilities.
At an international security conference in Moscow on Thursday,... Hyon said the "aggressive nature" of the U.S. has not changed... adding that Pyongyang is ready to launch any kind of war... if Washington provokes the regime.
Laah Hyun-kyung, Arirang News.
Title: U.S. calls on N. Korea to abandon nuclear program
The United States urged North Korea to show commitment to ending its nuclear program before coming back to the six party talks.
That′s in response to Pyongyang′s recent call for the resumption of talks with no conditions attached.
On Friday, U.S. special representative for nuclear non-proliferation Adam Scheinman said... the ball is in Pyongyang′s court,...and North Korea needs to come to the table prepared to denuclearize.
He also stressed the importance of China′s role in encouraging North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions.
North Korea has a track record of promising to denuclearize and then conducting nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
The six party talks... involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan, and Russia... were last held in 2008.

Title: U.S. hosts trilateral meeting to ease Korea-Japan tensions
As historical tensions continue to p

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