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ASIA NEWSOCTOBER 28, 2011U.S. Expresses Skepticism About North Korea TalksBy ADAM ENTOUSSEOUL—The Pentagon voiced skepticism Thursday about prospects for progress in nuclear talks with North Korea, saying it saw no signs so far that Pyongyang would be willing to freeze its bomb-building programs, and warned of the possibility of a future "confrontation."Enlarge ImageAssociated PressU.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at Yongsan base in Seoul.U.S. negotiators described talks this week in Geneva with NorthKorean representatives as "positive." But senior military officials in South Korea said Pyongyang's diplomatic overtures haven't translated into any changes in nuclear policy or weapons development, asserting that Pyongyang has been even more aggressive this year in pursuit of nuclear, missile and cyberattack capabilities."The word 'skepticism' would be in order at this time about what may or may not happen in those discussions," said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, on his first Asia visit as Pentagon chief.He met Thursday with South Korean leaders to update them on the talks, which he said should continue "despite the provocations." But he told reporters that Pyongyang's "game of going between accommodation and provocation" needs to come to an end."The cycle, ultimately, has to be broken," Mr. Panetta said. "There's either going to be an accommodation where they decide to make the right decisions with regards to their future…or, if they continue these provocations, then obviously that's going to lead to the possibility of escalation and confrontation."Mr. Panetta said China, in particular, which North Korea depends on for food and fuel, "can do more" to pressure Pyongyang to commit to giving up nuclear arms. U.S. officials acknowledge, though, that China's influence over its reclusive neighbor has its limits.The former Central Intelligence Agency director has sharpened histone on North Korea in recent days, warning of its "reckless" behavior and promising to maintain U.S. force levels in the region as a deterrence.Senior U.S. military officials based in Seoul said the North's conduct has followed a similar cyclical pattern for nearly 50 years: After ratcheting down tensions, the North makes overtures, issues demands and then lashes out again, each time more aggressively.This time, a senior military official said, the U.S. isn't "rushing back to the table when the North Koreans dangle some minor, reversible concession.""We are much more realistic and much more willing to really take a hard look at what North Korea has actually offered instead of immediately giving North Korea the benefit of the doubt," the official said. "It has used up, I would argue, its supply of trust and has tore-establish that through really following through on commitments."The message reflects the Obama administration's reluctance tore-enter six-party talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear programs without knowing in advance whether Pyongyang would be willing to stop building more of the weapons and halt proliferation.U.S. officials said public and private statements by the North in recent weeks strongly suggest it won't be willing to commit to abandoning its nuclear programs, a condition set by the Obama administration for resuming six-party talks. Those talks, which includedChina, South Korea, Japan and Russia, collapsed in 2008.Officials singled out recent statements in which the North made clear it believes deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who was shot and killed last week, made a strategic mistake by giving up his weapons-of-mass-destruction programs in 2003."When your negotiating partner says things like that, it's going to raise concern that maybe they're not sincere," a senior military official said. "I think there's a great deal of skepticism and it's valid skepticism."Last year, Pyongyang shelled a South Korean island and sank one of its ships. Since then, the North has held its fire, though U.S. military officials say the provocations continue behind the scenes.While making diplomatic overtures to the West, Pyongyang has been expanding its nonconventional military capabilities, from developing long-range missiles that could eventually reach targets across the U.S., to creating the world's largest special-operations force, the officials said.The North also has expanded aggressively into a new area, the officials said: cyberwarfare. Pyongyang has created its own cyber command within its military. The U.S. believes the North already has mounted several cyberattacks, likely using Internet-protocol addresses based in China, one senior military official said. An IP address is the unique number that each computer connected to the Internet isassigned.The U.S. suspects the North was behind a recent cyberattack on the South Korean banking system, though a senior military official said the evidence was "ambiguous" because such attacks are hard to track with precision. The North hasn't targeted the U.S. directly with a cyberattack, the official said.U.S. military officials believe North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's improved health may help explain why the North has been less aggressive in recent months. Mr. Kim, who suffered a serious stroke-like illness in 2008, has stepped up his travel, a sign his condition has improved, the officials said.Likewise, U.S. military officials point to Mr. Kim's decision to transfer some but not all of his responsibilities to Kim Jong Eun, his son and heir apparent, as evidence that the succession process has slowed and could take "a number of years" more to play out.U.S. officials believe last year's attacks by the North were orchestrated in large part to bolster Kim Jong Eun's standing within the country's powerful military, smoothing the way for him to takes the reins from his ailing father.Write to Adam Entous at adam.entous@1.But senior military officials in South Korea said Pyongyang's diplomatic overtures haven't translated into any changes in nuclear policy or weapons development, asserting that Pyongyang has been even more aggressive this year in pursuit of nuclear, missile and cyberattack capabilities.译文：但是韩国的高级军事官员说平壤的外交提议并没有提到任何有关原子能政策或武器发展的改变，他们断言平壤今年会比以往更加热衷于研究原子能武器、导弹以及提高网络攻击能力。