The arrival this weekend of a US aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea represents an act of political solidarity with South Korea by Washington, but no one expects North Korea to back down, and some believe that Kim Jong-il, the reclusive state’s leader, might enjoy the additional attention.
Pyongyang used familiar rhetoric on Friday to warn that joint US-South Korea military exercises, beginning on Sunday, will push the region further towards conflict.
The four days of manoeuvres take place as North Korea watchers debate Pyongyang’s motivation for shelling the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong on Tuesday, killing four people and destroying dozens of houses.
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