The most senior U.S. military official in South Korea has cautioned against North Korea’s sudden peace overture, warning it could be a strategy to divide international coordination against the regime. 

In a lecture hosted by the presidential National Unification Advisory Council in Seoul on Thursday, U.S. Forces Korea Commander Vincent Brooks called on Seoul and Washington to keep their expectations “at the appropriate level” over the New Year address by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in which he proposed inter-Korean talks. 

Brooks said the alliance should stay alert against hidden motives, adding the North may want to cause friction among the neighboring countries. 

Likening the members of the six-party denuclearization talks to five fingers, Brooks said North Korea wants the fingers pulled apart so they don't become a firm fist to put pressure on the regime. 

The five other members at the long-stalled talks are South Korea, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.

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