But Pyongyang responded to the U.S. warning by saying the threat of “meaningless sanctions” was “laughable”.
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In such a scenario, South Korea will deploy its Hyunmoo 2A and Hyunmoo 2B ballistic missiles, with a range of between 300 and 500 kilometres as well as the Hyunmoo-3 cruise missiles with a range of 1000 kilometres.
North Korea has the ability to test another nuclear warhead at any time, a South Korean official has warned.
According to the Associated Press, Moon did not offer evidence to back the claim, merely saying South Korea and US intelligence authorities believe North Korea has the ability to detonate another atomic device anytime.
The spokesman in a statement defended the test as a necessary response to what he deemed a nuclear threat from the US. Yonhap did not elaborate.
Seoul, Washington and their allies subsequently have vowed to apply more pressure and sanctions on Pyongyang in the wake of its latest nuclear test, the second this year.
While a number of states came together to condemn the tests, the U.S.is pushing for unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang.
Yonhap reported that a planned USA military B-1B bomber flight to the Korean peninsula had been scheduled for Monday but was delayed because of bad weather.
But a U.S. expert, based on power of the quake it triggered, said it could have be up to 30 kilotonnes.
To review the situation and coordinate sanctions, the chief nuclear negotiators of South Korea and the United States plan to hold talks in Seoul.
Those districts which are thought to be hiding the leadership would be particularly targeted and the city “will be reduced to ashes and removed from the map”.
On Monday Yonhap, citing South Korean government sources, reported that Pyongyang has completed preparations for another nuclear test.
“China is not capable of persuading North Korea to give up nuclear development, because China’s efforts are not supported by the others”, it said in an editorial on Monday. It previously called Park a “prostitute”.
“A scholar’s study on such North Korean defectors is deemed very credible”, Jeong said.
South Korea’s defence ministry said there was no change in its policy barring nuclear weapons. Regional disarmament-for-aid talks on the North’s nuclear ambitions have not been held since late 2008.
The 15-member Security Council imposed severe sanctions on Pyongyang in March following its fourth nuclear explosion, including an export ban and asset freeze.
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The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war, as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
