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US Military Base Blares False Alarm Amid North Korea Tensions

Associated Press

   SEOUL - A U.S. military base in South Korea accidentally blared an
   alert siren instead of a bugle call, causing a brief scare as the U.S.
   and its allies are monitoring for signs of provocation from North
   Korea, which has warned it could send a "Christmas gift" over
   deadlocked nuclear negotiations.

   The siren at Camp Casey, which is near the border with North Korea,
   went off by "human error" around 10 p.m. Thursday, said Lt. Col. Martyn
   Crighton, a public affairs officer for the 2nd Infantry Division.

   The operator immediately identified the mistake and alerted all units
   at the base of the false alarm, which did not interfere with any
   operations, Crighton said in an email Saturday.

   False alarm in Japan

   The incident came a day before Japanese broadcaster NHK caused panic by
   mistakenly sending a news alert saying North Korea fired a missile over
   Japan that landed in the sea off the country's northeastern island of
   Hokkaido early Friday. The broadcaster apologized, saying the alert was
   for media training purposes.

   North Korea has been dialing up pressure on Washington ahead of an
   end-of-year deadline issued by leader Kim Jong Un for the Trump
   administration to offer mutually acceptable terms for a nuclear deal.
   There are concerns that Pyongyang could do something provocative if
   Washington doesn't back down and relieve sanctions imposed on the
   North's broken economy.

   The North fired two missiles over Japan during a provocative run in
   weapons tests in 2017, which also included three flight tests of
   developmental intercontinental ballistic missiles that demonstrated
   potential capabilities to reach the U.S. mainland.

   Tensions eased briefly

   Tensions eased after Kim initiated diplomacy with Washington and Seoul
   in 2018 while looking to leverage his nukes for economic and security
   benefits.

   But negotiations have faltered since a February summit between Kim and
   President Donald Trump broke down after the U.S. side rejected North
   Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for a partial
   surrender of its nuclear capabilities.

   In a statement issued earlier this month, North Korean senior diplomat
   Ri Thae Song asserted that the Trump administration was running out of
   time to salvage faltering nuclear negotiations, and said it's entirely
   up to the United States to choose what "Christmas gift" it gets from
   the North.

   The North also in recent weeks said it conducted two "crucial" tests at
   a long-range rocket facility it said would strengthen its nuclear
   deterrent, prompting speculation that it's developing a new ICBM or
   preparing a satellite launch.