3/19 State Dept Brief: North Korea

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2009/03/120687.htm

Robert Wood

Acting Department Spokesman
Daily Press Briefing

March 19, 2009

INDEX:
NORTH KOREA

Possible Launch of Missile by North Korea / U.S.-South Korean Military
Exercises

...

QUESTION: Robert, you know, the last time you talked about this, I think
you were reluctant to describe what the U.S. would do if the North
launches a missile. Now there have been more recent comments coming out,
I believe, from the Defense Department saying that it's likely that the
U.S. would shoot that down.

MR. WOOD: I haven't seen those reports. I'm certainly not going to get
ahead of the situation. First of all, the launch hasn't taken place, and
I would think we want to examine all of our options, certainly, before
declaring what we may or may not do. And I just want to reiterate we
remain concerned about any possible launch of a missile by the North.
And as I've said before, we would view it as a provocative act. And we
encourage the North to get away from the idea of launching missiles and
to start focusing on denuclearization.

...

QUESTION: Yes, just one more on North Korea. Secretary Clinton said
earlier this month that there are a range of options that the U.S. could
take should North Korea launch a missile. I'm just wondering if one of
those options under consideration is additional bilateral sanctions?

MR. WOOD: Well, I don't want to lay out what we may or may not do should
the North launch this missile. But let me just say, there are a number
of options, as the Secretary said, that we would look at. I'm not going
to spell it out it. But if indeed a launch takes place, we will
certainly let you know what our reaction is going to be to it.

Okay.

QUESTION: Robert, just one more on North Korea.

MR. WOOD: Sure.

QUESTION: Sorry, to close the loop here. The North Koreans say that
these war games or war - military exercises are actually threatening
them and that they should be stopped, and this is one reason they are so
nervous about the situation. Could you comment on that?

MR. WOOD: You know, Jill, I've commented many times from here about
that. These annual exercises are no threat to the North Korean regime -
absolutely no threat. The North knows what it needs to do, and we want
to see it change its behavior, focus on denuclearization, stop all of
the bellicose rhetoric, and live up to the commitments that it pledged
it would. So again, these types of comments from the North are not
helpful. It knows very well what these exercises are about. And so, as I
said, the North knows what it needs to do. Okay.

Thank you.

(The briefing was concluded at 12:02 p.m.)