North Korea has no plans to suspend nuclear tests even if the United States stops its annual military exercises with South Korea, an aide to North Korea’s foreign minister said Tuesday.
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In a situation where “North Korea continues to make decisions that we believe are counterproductive”, the spokesman said, Washington has to continually look at what its options are in terms of response. He said it is a “priority” to protect South Korea and Japan, U.S. allies “that are vulnerable to the provocative actions that North Korea is engaging in”.
The statement came despite a media report released just days earlier suggesting North Korea would halt its tests of nuclear devices if the United States stopped the drills.
If North Korea does go ahead, it would constitute a dramatic act of defiance in the face of tough United Nations sanctions imposed after its most recent nuclear test in January.
In February, Seoul and Washington launched formal negotiations on the possible deployment of the US -led Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or Thaad, system in South Korea, in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear and long-range missile launch.
The South’s Yonhap news agency on Tuesday quoted unidentified government sources as saying the North had readied a medium-range Musudan missile for an imminent test launch.
“We’re going to continue to work closely with the Chinese government, which has more influence with the North Korean government than any other country in the world and we’re going to continue to make clear that the path that North Korea must choose to rejoin the worldwide community is one that involves them committing to denuclearize the Korean peninsula and come into compliance with their global obligations”, Earnest said. USA officials said the earlier launch ended in failure.
“Another failed launch before the party convention will have a huge impact (on the North Korean leadership), so I wouldn’t be sure that the North will hurriedly carry out another launch”, said a military official.
Analysts say a new atomic test could happen before North Korea holds a ruling Workers’ Party congress in early May so that leader Kim Jong Un can burnish his image at home and further cement his grip on power.
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President Barack Obama said Sunday that he doesn’t take seriously North Korea’s claim that it would halt nuclear tests if the US suspends military exercises with South Korea. This year’s drills end later this week.
