Powder barrel of East Asia ("Fox News", USA)

Pyongyang, having nuclear weapons, continues to put threats against its southern neighbor. Today, North Korea was visited by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. As we said earlier, he compares this situation with a powder keg.

A North Korean official greeted Richardson in English with the words: “We are so glad to see you!” After leaving the airport, North Korean officials called the South Korean defense minister, a US ally, I quote, “a maniac who intended to stoke a war.”

In the event that South Korea conducts the scheduled shooting practice this weekend, North threatens to strike at it.

In our studio, Fox News senior correspondent Jonathan Hunt.
The threats seem serious. But often there are more threats than cases. Often.

JONATAN HANT, Fox News senior correspondent: But experts believe, Shep, that in this case the situation is very dangerous. The two countries, North Korea and South, have long been hostile to each other, and it seems that both of them now intend to demonstrate their military might. One side is supported by China, the other - by the USA. The situation is unstable. It is not difficult to imagine how it can explode. It is not difficult to imagine how she can get out of control. This is what North Korea expert Jim Walsh says.

JIM WALSH, MIT Researcher, international security expert: I don’t think that a war is being prepared there, but the risk of war remains - unintended war that can start not because of the fact that South Korea or North Korea wants to fight. North Korea does not want to fight, because it will lose. The problem may occur due to miscalculation, misperception, someone's mistake.

JONATHAN HUNT: So Governor Bill Richardson went to North Korea to reduce tensions. But to say is much easier than done, Shep.

Of course, the Russians are trying to blame South Korea for this tension. And we understand, Jonathan, that in fact for one side the other will be here. That is, China and North Korea against South Korea and the United States.

JONATHAN HUNT: Absolutely. But an important player here is Russia. Initially, Russia criticized North Korea when it attacked South after firing practice with November 23 warheads.

Now the Russians seem to have changed their approach. Today, their foreign ministry summoned the ambassadors of the United States and South Korea in Moscow and asked them — asked South Korea — not to conduct these training shots. And he called on the American side to put pressure on South Korea so that the exercises would be canceled.

Currently, Shep, there is no indication that the United States will exert pressure on South Korea to cancel the planned shooting practice. And the situation, as noted by Governor Bill Richardson, remains a “powder keg.”