Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says Ottawa isn't taking North Korea's threats lightly -- including a recent vow to launch a nuclear strike – as there's always a possibility that such rhetoric could escalate into something more dangerous.
"We take these issues very seriously," Baird told CTV’s Question Period on Sunday. "Fortunately, it’s just rhetoric … (But) given that the rhetoric led to violence last year, I think we’re wise to, you know, take the situation on the ground very seriously."
Baird was referring to last year’s attempted show of military strength by North Korea that ended with a rocket carrying a satellite crashing into the Yellow Sea.
His comments come amid a series of near-daily threats from Pyongyang in recent weeks, including a warning Sunday from one of North Korea’s top decision-making bodies that nuclear weapons are the "nation’s life" that won’t ever be on the bargaining table for the isolated regime.
"Obviously, we're deeply concerned about their nuclear program, their testing and the insecurity this means for the entire Korean peninsula," Baird said.
Although analysts say a full-scale conflict between North and South Korea is unlikely -- the Korean Peninsula has been in a technical state of war for 60 years -- the recent threats toward Seoul and Washington have raised concerns that a clash is possible.
Baird said Canada is "deeply" committed to working with "like-minded allies," adding that recent condemnations by China of North Korea’s threats are appreciated.
"China has also spoken up very loudly and very clearly in a way we haven't seen before," Baird said. "We certainly welcome any influence that they can bring to de-escalate what is a serious and growing situation."
Naval skirmishes in the disputed Yellow Sea, just off the Korean coast, have led to bloody battles over the years. Most recently, in 2010, 46 South Korean sailors died after the Cheonan, a South Korean navy warship, was torpedoed by a North Korean submarine in the disputed maritime border area. North Korea has denied any involvement.
North Korea has also been angered in recent months by the U.S.-South Korea military-training drills, which are conducted annually, and the latest round of UN sanctions that followed the country’s third nuclear test on Feb. 12.
The threats are seen as a way to provoke South Korea to change its policies toward North Korea, as well as to win diplomatic talks with Washington in a bid to receive more U.S. aid.
With files from The Associated Press
