South Korea’s Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang Gyun refused to say what evidence pointed to another possible North Korea test.
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The spokesman declined to elaborate, citing intelligence matters, but said the South’s military is on full combat-readiness to respond to “further nuclear tests, ballistic missile launches or land provocation” by the North.
South Korean shout slogans during a rally denouncing North Korea’s latest nuclear test in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Sept. 12, 2016.
According to an AFP report, North Korea on Sunday demanded that the USA acknowledge the isolated country as a “legitimate nuclear weapons state”, and promised to increase its arsenal in both “quality and quantity”.
The scheduled bomber flight comes two months after Washington and Seoul announced that they would deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) advanced missile defense system in the South in order to counter the threat from a nuclear-armed North Korea. A council statement pledged to work on “appropriate measures” in response.
The global community is said to be considering its response, with the USA saying it is considering imposing sanctions alongside those imposed by the UN Security Council, Japan and South Korea.
The USFK originally planned to have two B-1B Lancers to fly over the skies of South Korea at around 10:00 a.m. on Monday, flanked by South Korean F-15K and one U.S. F-16 fighter jets.
On Friday, Pyongyang launched its most powerful nuclear blast to date, saying it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile.
The test showed North Korea’s nuclear capability was expanding fast and its leader Kim Jong Un was unwilling to change course, South Korea said on Saturday.
Confirming its fifth test, Pyongyang pledged to “continue measures to qualitatively and quantitatively strengthen the nation’s nuclear forces”. “In other words, the North’s capital city will be reduced to ashes and removed from the map”, a South Korean government source told Yonhap.
“The essence of the issue is the conflict between the DPRK and the United States”, said Hua Chunying, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, using country’s official name.
While a number of states came together to condemn the tests, the U.S.is pushing for unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang.
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“We assess that (North Korea) is prepared for a nuclear test in another shaft”, Defense Minister Han Min-koo told lawmakers Friday. The United States has about 28,500 troops in South Korea.
