Washington, May 29 (Inditop) US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Friday that the US had detected no unusual military movement in North Korea and did not plan to send reinforcements to South Korea in response to Pyongyang’s threat to attack the South, the New York Times reported.
Speaking to reporters on his plane on the US Pacific island of Guam, Gates said he saw no reason to reinforce the 28,000 American troops already stationed in South Korea.
“I’m not aware of any military moves in the North that are out of the ordinary at least,” Gates was quoted as saying.
The US defence secretary was on his way to Singapore for an annual security conference that is expected to be dominated by North Korea’s test of a nuclear device and several missile launches earlier in the week.
He added that “should the North Koreans do something rash and extremely provocative militarily”, the US “has the forces to deal with it”.
Gates said he planned to use the conference in Singapore to reassure Japan and South Korea of President Obama’s commitment to their defence against North Korea.
On Monday North Korea tested a nuclear device and launched several short-range ballistic missiles in defiance of international sanctions. The Stalinist state test-fired more missiles Tuesday and threatened military strikes against South Korea Wednesday.
