The US has close to 30,000 troops permanently stationed in South Korea and conducts a series of joint military exercises with its key Asian ally every year. Seoul and Washington insist the drills are defensive in nature, but they are regularly condemned by Pyongyang as provocative rehearsals for invasion.
“It’s like they’re putting a worm on a line to see if they can get a nibble,” said John Delury, a North Korea expert at Yonsei University in Seoul.
“But I don’t see the US biting, at least not publicly,” he added.
Washington has always refused to enter into dialogue with Pyongyang until North Korea shows a tangible commitment to abandoning its entire nuclear weapons programme.
Relations between the two countries are particularly tense since North Korea’s alleged role in hacking Sony Pictures’ systems and threatening US moviegoers over film The Interview. Earlier this month, the US imposed economic sanctions against several North Korean government agencies and senior officials earlier this month.