North Korea is set to conduct a nuclear test, Seoul and Washington said on Thursday, warning the United States that it could happen during U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to South Korea this week.
Mr. Biden’s first trip as president to the region seems to be overshadowed by increasingly hostile North Korea.
Despite the recent wave of COVID-19 in North Korea, the preparation for a nuclear test is complete and they are just looking for the right moment to accomplish this, MK Ha Tae-keung told reporters, citing information from Seoul’s National Intelligence Service.
According to US intelligence services, there is a real possibility that North Korea chose to organize a teasing after Joe Biden arrived in Seoul on Friday afternoon, his administration said.
It could mean new missile test, long-range missile test, or nuclear test, or bothbefore, during or after Mr. Biden’s tour of the region, said Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser.
Satellite images indicate that North Korea is preparing to conduct what will be its seventh nuclear test, following a record number of tests this year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
North Korea will seek global attention by conducting nuclear test during President Biden’s visit to South Korea and JapanCheong Seong-chang, from the Center for North Korea Studies at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, to AFP.
Mr Biden, who will visit some of the approximately 30,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, is ready adjustments The U.S. military presence in the region, and Seoul’s new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, are keen to strengthen the relationship.
Washington and Seoul are open to talks with Pyongyang
Both Biden and Yoon said they were open to talks with Pyongyang but expected real progress on denuclearization.
Biden believes the issue in North Korea cannot be resolved through impromptu meetings between leaders like Trump did, said Woo Jung-yeop, a researcher at the Sejong Institute in Seoul.
North Korea will follow the outcome of the Yoon-Biden meeting on Saturday very closely, Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said, adding thatdepending on the outcome, North Korea will decide whether to speed up or slow down its nuclear tests and ICBMs.
Kim Jong-un is also aware of the disagreement with the UN Security Council.UN after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and therefore very probable which is a nuclear test or ICBMs took place on Biden’s Asian tour, Cheong Seong-chang added.
Moscow is likely to block any attempt by the United Nations to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang following an arms test.
Under international sanctions, North Korea has dramatically stepped up missile testing this year, while ignoring U.S. negotiation offers.
The country in 2017 stopped firing intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear tests. He partially broke this moratorium by firing an intercontinental missile at the end of March.
Talks have stalled since the failed Trump-Kim summit in 2019, and Kim Jong-un recently declared his intention to strengthen his nuclear arsenal as soon as possible.
Responsibility for this situation is partly attributed to strategic neglect North Korea has been President Biden since taking office, said Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
There is no way to stop North Korea nowHe added.
Source: Radio-Canada
