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WORLD NEWS Friday 12 July 2019

N. Korea vows to respond to South’s deployment of F-35 jets

By HYUNG-JIN KIM in South Korea.” The South without any agreement
Associated Press Korean government didn’t due to squabbling over
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) immediately respond to U.S.-led sanctions on the
— North Korea slammed the North’s statement. But North, and the two leaders
South Korea over its ongo- arms procurement officials agreed to resume working-
ing deployment of high- said the F-35 project would level nuclear talks.
tech U.S. fighter jets, warn- proceed as scheduled and The latest statement didn’t
ing Thursday that it will re- that about 10 of the 40 jets criticize the U.S. directly. It
spond by developing and were to be delivered by was seen as more of a con-
testing unspecified special the end of this year. tinuation of North Korea’s
weapons of its own to “de- Despite the warning, it’s un- sensitivity to the introduc-
stroy” the aircraft. clear if North Korean can tion of sophisticated U.S.
The statement, which conduct a major weapons weapons on the Korean
also urged South Korea to test any time soon because Peninsula, and dissatisfac-
abandon its “preposter- that would likely disrupt a tion with Seoul since the
ous illusions” for improved In this March 29, 2019, photo, a U.S. F-35A fighter jet prepares to positive atmosphere after Vietnam summit’s break-
ties, comes as Seoul has land at Chungju Air Base in Chungju, South Korea. the June 30 summit be- down. South Korean liberal
expressed hopes that a re- Associated Press tween Trump and Kim at President Moon Jae-in, who
cent summit between Pres- which was conducting an An unidentified policy re- the Korean border village favors a negotiated resolu-
ident Donald Trump and unusually large number of search director at the min- of Panmunjom. tion of the nuclear crisis,
North Korean leader Kim weapons tests. Animosities istry’s Institutes for Ameri- Though it lacked sub- shuttled between Wash-
Jong Un will help revive dia- have gradually eased since can Studies said Seoul’s stance, the impromptu ington and Pyongyang last
logue between the Koreas. last year when Pyongyang purchase of the U.S. jets meeting was the first be- year to facilitate a flurry of
Under its biggest-ever and Washington launched was meant to “please the tween Trump and Kim since diplomacy between the
weapons purchase, South nuclear negotiations, but United States, their mas- their second summit in Viet- countries. He met Kim three
Korea is to buy 40 F-35 Seoul has been moving ter, like eating mustard in nam in February collapsed times last year.q
fighter jets from Lockheed ahead with its already-ap- tears,” though Seoul knows
Martin by 2021. The first two proved F-35 procurement. well the project is an “ex-
arrived in March and two On Thursday, the North’s tremely dangerous action”
others are to be delivered Foreign Ministry fired off that will increase military
in coming weeks, accord- fresh criticism, claiming the tensions. The director said
ing to Seoul officials. second batch of F-35s is North Korea has “no other
The project was an- coming in South Korea in choice but to develop and
nounced in 2014 to cope mid-July, something that test the special armaments
with then rising military Seoul officials won’t con- to completely destroy the
threats from North Korea, firm. lethal weapons reinforced
Cambodia court charges 2 who

protested gov’t critic’s murder

Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia
(AP) — A court in Cambo-
dia on Thursday formally
charged two men in con-
nection with protests mark-
ing the third anniversary of
the killing of a prominent
government critic. The
Phnom Penh Municipal
Court brought charges of
incitement to commit a
felony against two of seven Soung Neakpean, center, arrives at the Phnom Penh Municipal
people detained this week Court in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he was charged with
in connection with the an- incitement to commit a felony, on Thursday, July 11, 2019.
niversary of the July 10, Associated Press
2016, shooting of Kem Ley, without charges after ques- ing that Prime Minister Hun
court spokesman Kouch tioning. Kem Ley was killed Sen’s family had taken ad-
Kimlong said. The other shortly after he spoke on vantage of its connections
detainees were released radio about a report alleg- for financial gain.q