ARIRANG NEWS 16:00 U.S. commander calls for greater international cooperation

ARIRANG NEWS 16:00 Good to have you with us. You′re watching Arirang News. It′s 4 p.m. here in Seoul and I′m Laah Hyun-kyung. Title: U.S. commander calls for greater international cooperation to deal with N. Korea threat Our top story this afternoon... A senior U.S. military officer says... much more can be done to keep an unpredictable North Korea in check. This follows military talks between the U.S. and China,... where Beijing officials are usually reluctant to talk about North Korea issues. Kim Hyun-bin reports. The U.S. Army Pacific commander General Vincent Brooks says North Korea came up in his discussions with Chinese military leaders during his recent visit to China. In an interview with the Brookings Institution′s "Order from Chaos" blog on Tuesday, Brooks said he visited Beijing and Hainan last month and had meetings with China′s top generals,... but he did not elaborate on what the two sides said about North Korea. However, he did emphasize the need for dialogue between the U.S., China, South Korea and Japan to formulate a coordinated policy to counter the North Korean nuclear and missile threat. Brooks said the regime′s continual provocations and lack of transparency means there′s always the potential for a military miscalculation. He added that,... given North Korea′s unpredictable nature,... the Pacific Command remains on a so-called "fight tonight" posture and stressed that U.S. troops in South Korea are always on alert. In regards to the U.S. general′s meetings in China,... diplomatic sources in Washington say it′s unlikely much progress was made on North Korean issues. They note that, in previous encounters, China has been reluctant to talk to the U.S. about North Korea, especially in regards to the North′s leadership and internal changes inside the isolated regime. Kim Hyun-bin, Arirang News. Title: N. Korea unlikely to conduct nuclear or long-range missile test: 38 North The website of a U.S.-based think tank says… Pyongyang is unlikely to carry out a nuclear test or missile launch over the next few months. Citing satellite imagery,... 38 North says there are only signs of regular maintenance at North Korea′s Punggye-ri nuclear test site and... the Sohae Satellite Launching Station. But it also notes that... if it wanted to... the North Korean leadership could move forward quickly... with either a bomb test or missile launch. This analysis comes amid speculation that the North might carry out a provocation in response to the ongoing annual joint military drills between South Korea and the United States. North Korea sees those exercises as a rehearsal for war,... while Seoul and Washington say... they are purely defensive in nature. Title: Senior foreign affairs officials from Korea, China and Japan to meet for talks in Seoul Senior diplomats from South Korea, China and Japan are currently meeting in Seoul... to lay the groundwork for a trilateral foreign ministers′ meeting... sla