US: N Korea will achieve nothing by threats, provocations

The US reiterated here late Tuesday that North Korea will achieve nothing by threats or provocations in the wake of claims North Korea made that it has missiles that can reach US mainland. State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters in this regard "certainly rather than bragging about its missile capability, they ought to be feeding their own people." "The DPRK needs to understand that it will achieve nothing by threats or provocations," she stressed. She added that "that's only going to undermine their efforts to get back into conversation with the international community." Nuland underscored that "under UN Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874, North Korea is required to suspend all activities related to the ballistic missile program." On the agreement South Korea struck with the US to extend the range of its ballistic missiles, NULAND affirmed "these changes in missile guidance are defensive in nature." She noted "we haven't changed these ranges or capabilities since 2001, at a time when the North has been very clearly working and boasting about their own capabilities," reiterating "these are defensive moves on our part and are responsive in nature." Nuland remarked that North Korea "know what they need to do if they want to get back into a conversation with us. And again, this is boasting about something rather than taking care of the needs of their own people."