Obama: North Korea risks isolation if it launches rocket

Obama: North Korea risks isolation if it launches rocket

Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea Warning North Korea from its doorstep, President Barack Obama today said the nation risks deepening its isolation in the international community if it proceeds with a planned long-range rocket launch.

“North Korea will achieve nothing by threats or provocations,” Obama said during a news conference today in Seoul, South Korea, where he was to attend a nuclear security summit.

Obama spoke fresh off his first visit to the tense Demilitarized Zone, the heavily patrolled no-man’s land between North and South Korea, where he peered long and hard at the isolated North.

“It’s like you’re in a time warp,” Obama said. “It’s like you’re looking across 50 years into a country that has missed 40 years or 50 years of progress.”

Obama looked noticeably fatigued after essentially one long day that involved a 17-hour flight from Washington, a helicopter ride to the border zone, two sets of diplomatic talks, the news conference and an official dinner.