JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii \u2014 North Korea\u2019s threat to detonate a hydrogen bomb above the Pacific Ocean is being treated as credible based on the regime\u2019s past actions, U.S. officials here said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s because in the past, North Korea has worked to manage global reactions to its nuclear tests and missile launches by announcing and socializing them publicly first, thus reducing the likelihood of any military reaction, they said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would fully expect if he\u2018s telling us he\u2019ll do it, he\u2019s going to,\u201d the officials said, who briefed reporters traveling with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford on the condition of anonymity.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The officials also provided a tour of the Hawaii base\u2019s ability to detect launches and then relay responses to partners Japan and China on a missile\u2019s potential trajectory. The last several months here have seen a near constant pace of launches and tests by North Korea, which has generated calls for both military options and an increased attempt to deliver a diplomatic solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the regional military officials here, a diplomatic solution is the far preferred option. Even a limited and successful military campaign against North Korea could kill hundreds of thousands of Seoul residents, the Congressional Research Service estimated in a report released this week and provided to the Military Times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The officials said even in a hypothetical, successful scenario, the risk was high that the U.S. would likely either be blamed for the deaths \u2014 either because of a perception the U.S. provoked North Korea or that it did not do enough to end Pyongyang\u2019s nuclear program before conflict erupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dunford, who has repeatedly emphasized that the military\u2019s role is to help press a diplomatic option, said an above-ground hydrogen bomb test would be \u201cparticularly provocative.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dunford said any above ground test by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would generate a very strong international response, and that they are taking this latest threat seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have a tendency from a planning perspective to take their rhetoric seriously and make sure we are prepared to deal with it,\u201d Dunford said. \u201cWe\u2018re listening carefully to what he is saying.\u201d
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“If he\u2018s telling us he\u2019ll do it, he\u2019s going to,\u201d US officials say.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":31094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,25],"tags":[8495],"coauthors":[3344],"class_list":["post-12971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-newsletters","tag-north-korea"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"G37AWHOIBZCGXMVTZWYI3EKRAU","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2017\/10\/31\/north-korea-threat-of-above-ground-bomb-test-serious-us-says\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n