US envoy: No intention to invade North Korea

Days ahead of an expected new UN resolution that would toughen sanctions against North Korea, President Barack Obama's special envoy issued a plea for renewed international dialogue and explicitly ruled out any military action against the communist country.

Stephen Bosworth, the special envoy on North Korea, used an appearance Tuesday night before The Korea Society's annual dinner to undercut Pyongyang's justifications for defying the UN Security Council and conducting a second nuclear test, its latest provocation resulting in the likelihood of added council sanctions this month.

But he also made clear, without elaborating, that the Pentagon would not sit on its hands.

"North Korea's recent actions to develop a nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile capacity require that we expand our consideration of new responses, including our force posture and extended deterrence options," Bosworth said.

"However, the North Korean claim to be responding to a 'threat' or a 'hostile policy' by the United States is simply groundless," he said. "Quite to the contrary, we have no intention to invade North Korea or change its regime through force, and this has been made clear to the DPRK repeatedly," he added, using the acronym for Democratic People's Republic of North Korea.

'N. Korea should come out of the cave'

Bosworth signaled that the United States will still try to resuscitate the so-called six-party talks with the North as well as work with other members of the United Nations. North Korea has vowed not to resume participation in the six-party talks with the US, Japan, South Korea, China and Russia.

South Korean troops patrol border last week (Photo: Reuters)

"There is no doubt in my mind that negotiation and dialogue are the best means to achieve the goal of complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Bosworth said. "We have not walked away from the negotiating table and we remain ready for serious negotiations with the North Koreans."

Bosworth concluded that North Korea faces a choice: "They can stay in the darkness of the cave, and see the world only as shadows. Or they can come out into the light of the international community."

That remark drew an "observation" from former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who along with Chung Mong-koo, the chairman of Hyundai Motor Co., was on hand to accept The Korea Society's top award.

"Of course we want North Korea to come out of its caves and enter the community of creative nations," Kissinger said. "But what they can't do is come out of the caves and duck back into it every six months, kicking over all the agreements they have made as they came out."

Russia: N. Korea to launch another missile

"We have certain information on the type and characteristics of the rocket. However there is no precise information on the timing of its launch," the source in Russia's General Staff told Interfax.

He added that Russia would be monitoring the launch. It was unclear whether he was referring to a short- or long-range missile.

North Korea has launched a series of short-range missiles since carrying out a nuclear test on May 25.

Associated Press and AFP contributed to the report