WASHINGTON — The Obama administration announced plans Monday for two major military exercises off the Korean Peninsula in a show of force aimed at North Korea, blamed by investigators for a deadly torpedo attack on a South Korean warship.
The White House called U.S. support for South Korea “unequivocal” and said in a statement that President Barack Obama had directed military commanders to work with the South “to ensure readiness and to deter future aggression.”
North Korean leaders have denied responsibility and warned against any retaliation, but Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday blamed the North for the crisis.
“We are working hard to avoid an escalation of belligerence and provocation,” Clinton told reporters in Beijing, where she was to press China to support diplomatic action against its ally, North Korea. “This is a highly precarious situation that the North Koreans have caused in the region.”
