Commander of U.S. Forces Korea General Walter Sharp has expressed concerns about further provocations from North Korea.

Speaking at a House Armed Services Committee hearing in the U.S., the general expressed concerns about the possibility of additional provocations from North Korea.

He noted that the series of provocations against South Korea last year came as the country has been working through the power succession and as it tries to become a great and powerful nation by 2012, as Kim Jong-il has claimed.

Sharp called for preparations to respond to the North’s provocations if deterrence does not work. He believes the North is continuing to develop nuclear weapons and stated that Kim Jong-il will not give up his nuclear ambitions.

However, he did not mention specific response measures in detail.