Talks only option for peninsula

If the United Nations Security Council accepts the United States' formal request, it could vote on Monday to impose the severest sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in response to its intensified nuclear program, especially its sixth nuclear test on Sept 3.

But even if the Security Council accedes to Washington's request and temporarily quell the international community's concerns over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests, it may not succeed in defusing the tensions on the Korean Peninsula which, given the rising war rhetoric between the DPRK and the Republic of Korea, risks spinning out of control and triggering a conflict. And a war, even on a limited scale, could have devastating consequences for not just the DPRK and the ROK, but the region as whole.

Some of the countries demanding tougher sanctions might want to believe they will thwart the DPRK's pursuit of nuclear weapons, but Pyongyang has repeatedly proved those optimists wrong by conducting more nuclear and missile tests. Essentially, the previous UN sanctions against Pyongyang have been ineffective.