Kim wants to break regional powers' unity: Top US commander

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is attempting to deter unity between South Korea, the US, China, Russia and Japan with a string of belligerent acts, a top American military commander said on Thursday.

General Vincent K. Brooks, who commands US Forces Korea (USFK), was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency that the Communist regime's weekly missile tests have become "the new normal".

North Korea testfired 28 ballistic missiles in 2016 alone, followed by 10 others this year, including what was believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

It was also reportedly preparing for another missile launch, although there was no report of a launch on Thursday, the 64th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, said the report.

"His actions intend to sow friction and fissures among the five in order to prevent them from coming together as a cohesive block," Gen. Brooks said, addressing a forum under way in US state Nebraska, according to the USFK's website.

"He's trying to prevent the creation of a closed fist against him," the commander said, showing the five fingers of his hand to refer to the five countries involved in the now-suspended denuclearisation talks with Pyongyang.

He described the North Korea issue as a "wicked problem" and called for a "creative" approach to resolve it by pooling the wisdom of various people.

--IANS

soni/vt