Commentary: Prudence in urgent need amid heightened tensions on Korean Peninsula

The United States on Wednesday hit the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with its own sanctions after the UN Security Council already did so earlier this month, which would deteriorate the hairtrigger situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Prudence and restraint from all parties concerned are needed to ease the tensions and prevent disastrous events from happening.

The new sanctions come during an eight-week unprecedented joint military drills by the United States and South Korea, which involve tens of thousands of troops and the highest of tech weapons. The military games, a clear show of muscle-flexing, have added more volatility to an already tense peninsula.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest called on the DPRK to "refrain from provocative actions and statements that tend to aggravate tensions" after the UN Security Council expanded its sanctions on Pyongyang on March 2.

However, restraint shouldn't solely be applied to the DPRK; it's more applicable to those who claim to have a "more sober mind" on the issue.

The unanimously adopted UN resolution for tougher sanctions on the DPRK highlights the international community's desire to curb the country's nuclear and missile programs. Designed with targeted sanctions to starve its arms development, the sanctions come with aspirations to bring the DPRK to the negotiating table.

The UN resolution also calls for a resumption of the six-party talks, a multi-lateral dialogue brokered by China, in an effort to seek a peaceful solution to the Korean nuclear issue.

But additional sanctions aren't necessarily better. The White House vowed to rachet up the pressure, but it should be reminded that too much pressure could lead to fractures where one least expects them.

Even worse is to be ignorant of one's own threatening behavior. The deployment of B-52 bombers, the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS North Carolina, and the nuclear-powered supercarrier John C. Stennis to South Korea and its nearby waters worsened an already bad situation.

Meanwhile, the possible deployment in South Korea of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), a U.S. Army anti-ballistic missile system, is by any measure an overreaction.

It goes far beyond the defense needs of the region and would lead to an all-out arms race. Most of all, the system would make peace ever more elusive for the region. Endi