US general confident defending from NKorea

The commander of US forces in South Korea said Tuesday he was "absolutely confident" of defending against any threat from communist North Korea.

General Walter Sharp said US and South Korean forces were ready to counter potential North Korean attacks ranging from a land invasion to cyber warfare to a missile launch aimed at the continental United States.

"I am absolutely confident that the capabilities that we and the Republic of Korea have are prepared for any threat," Sharp told a news conference in New York, which was video-linked to Washington.

North Korea has in recent months tested an atom bomb, launched missiles and bolted out of a six-nation agreement on ending its nuclear drive. Pyongyang is also a suspect in recent attacks against US and South Korean websites.

Sharp declined comment on whether North Korea planned further tests or on speculation that the barrage of actions are linked to the failing health of North Korean strongman Kim Jong-Il.

"All the governments around the world are hoping and pushing for Kim Jong-Il to change his provocations," Sharp said.

He voiced hope that Kim would return to agreements on denuclearization and "take a new path by which North Korea can emerge as a nation that takes care of its people and does not continue to threaten the world."

Sharp, who technically also heads the UN command maintaining a 1953 armistice on the Korean peninsula, was in New York for meetings including with UN chief Ban Ki-moon.