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US committed to defending ROK, Japan
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-28 08:48

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated on Wednesday that the United States will defend the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan when the two countries face threats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

US committed to defending ROK, Japan
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks at a press conference held in the State Department in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, May 27, 2009. Hillary reiterated on Wednesday that the United States will defend Japan and the ROK when the two allies face threats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). She also urged Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks on abandoning its nuclear programs. [Xinhua] 
US committed to defending ROK, Japan

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"I want to underscore the commitments the United States has and intends always to honor for the defense of the ROK and Japan," Clinton told reporters two days after the DPRK conducted its second nuclear test since 2006.

Noting that the DPRK was behaving in a "provocative and belligerent" manner toward its neighbors and there were consequences to such behavior, Clinton urged Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks on abandoning its nuclear programs.

Also on Wednesday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs described the latest underground nuclear test by the DPRK as "saber-rattling and bluster."

"Threats won't get the DPRK the attention it craves. Their actions are continuing to further deepen their own isolation, from the international community," Gibbs told reporters.

The DPRK announced on Monday that it "successfully conducted one more underground nuclear test," demonstrating its "self-defensive nuclear deterrent" to the world. Both the ROK and Japan view a nuclear-armed DPRK the major threat to their security.

The DPRK staged its first nuclear test in October 2006.

US President Barack Obama accused Pyongyang of "recklessly challenging the international community" with its new underground nuclear test.

The DPRK "is directly and recklessly challenging the international community. The DPRK's behavior increases tensions and undermines stability in Northeast Asia," he said.

"Such provocations will only serve to deepen the DPRK's isolation. It will not find international acceptance unless it abandons its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery," Obama said.