US, South Korea warn Pyongyang against nuclear weapons use
Washington (AP): The US and South Korea jointly warned North Korea on on Thursday that use of any kind of nuclear weapon against Seoul or other regional allies would result in the end of Kim Jong Un's regime, as Pyongyang continued to rattle the peninsula with escalating missile tests.
North Korea has launched more than two dozen missiles over the last two days in response to US-South Korean military exercises that began on Monday.
The launches have sent South Koreans scrambling for shelter and further frayed the nerves of a population already mourning the loss of more than 150 people at a horrific Halloween crowd crush.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup, after meeting on Thursday at the Pentagon, released a joint statement saying they strongly condemned North Korea's escalating military flexing, including ballistic missile test launches, multiple rocket launches and coastal artillery.
Any use of nuclear weapons, including lower-yield tactical nuclear devices against Seoul or other regional allies such as Japan, would result in the end of Kim Jong Un regime by the overwhelming and decisive response of the alliance, Lee said at a joint news conference with Austin.
The US and South Korea will work on response options towards all possible nuclear use scenarios by North Korea, Lee said.
Austin said North Korea's increased aggression would not result in more US troops or assets, such as an additional aircraft carrier, being permanently relocated to the region but that Kim would see a greater US military presence rotating there.
In September the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan visited Korea for the first time in five years, Austin said.
Kim will "see assets move in and out, Austin said.
In its launches on Thursday, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, drawing swift condemnation from the White House, which accused Pyongyang of destabilizing the security situation in the region.
The US and South Korea announced that the Vigilant Storm military exercise, which was scheduled to run through Friday, would be extended indefinitely.
Tensions between the US and North Korea have also increased over newly declassified reports that it is providing artillery for Russia to use against Ukraine.
North Korea was shipping an undisclosed number of artillery shells to Russia but trying to make it appear as though they're being sent to countries in the Middle East or North Africa, said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
North Korea has reacted to past US-South Korean military drills with missile tests, which was one reason former President Donald Trump called for the exercises to cease for more than a year as he unsuccessfully negotiated with the North Korean leader to end his pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Large-scale US-South Korean military exercises resumed this year. This fall's Vigilant Storm which involves more than 1,600 US and South Korean flights involving about 240 warplanes is the largest such exercise to date, according to the Pentagon.
Pak Jong Chon, a secretary of the North's Workers' Party who is considered a confidant of Kim Jong Un, has called the US-South Korean air force drills aggressive and provocative.
If the US and South Korea attempt to use armed forces against (North Korea) without any fear, the special means of the (North's) armed forces will carry out their strategic mission without delay, Pak said, in an apparent reference to his country's nuclear weapons.
North Korea in recent months has been testing a string of nuclear-capable missiles and it adopted a law authorizing the preemptive use of its nuclear weapons in a broad range of situations. Some experts still doubt North Korea would use nuclear weapons first in the face of US and South Korean forces.
The ballistic missile tests on Wednesday included at least 23 missiles as well as about 100 artillery shells that were fired into an eastern maritime buffer zone. South Korea's military said the 23 weapons were all short-range ballistic missiles or suspected surface-to-air missiles.
One of the ballistic missiles was flying toward South Korea's Ulleung island before it eventually landed 167 kilometers (104 miles) northwest of the island.
South Korea's military issued an air raid alert on the island, according to the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff. South Korean media published photos of island residents moving to underground shelters.
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said at least two ballistic missiles fired by North Korea showed a possibly irregular trajectory. This suggests the missiles were the North's highly maneuverable, nuclear-capable KN-23 missile, which was modelled on Russia's Iskander missile.
In response to the missile barrage, South Korea quickly launched its own missiles in the same border area.
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
