Analysts say an atomic test could happen before the country holds a landmark ruling Workers’ Party congress in Pyongyang in early May.
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Donald Trump’s suggestions for South Korea and Japan to arm themselves with nuclear weapons and for the United States military to withdraw from those countries are “absurd and illogical”, a North Korean official says.
The Pyongyang regime carried out nuclear tests in 2006, 2009, 2013 and most recently in January this year when it allegedly detonated a hydrogen bomb, though some experts have doubted the claim.
South Korea raised concern about a possible launch on Thursday when it said it had spotted a mobile launcher carrying one or two Musudan ballistic missiles near the eastern North Korean city of Wonsan.A US official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters said that it appeared to be a Musudan missile but no definitive conclusion had been reached.
The Defense Ministry said Monday that North Korea’s next provocation was likely to involve an underground nuclear warhead test in the near future.
North Korea’s committee on inter-Korean affairs urged South Korea Sunday to repatriate the North Koreans, arguing that Seoul had carried out a plot to kidnap them to rally conservative voters for its general elections last week. “From the technical perspective, North Korea is seen as being able to mount a nuclear warhead on its short-range Scud and medium-range Rodong missiles”, said Choi Jin Wook, president of the Korea Institute for National Unification.
Despite Iran’s suspected ties with North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme, South Korea is keen to strengthen trade ties with the second-largest economy in the Middle East, and Park is expected to push for corporate deals including chemical and power plants, infrastructure and information technology.
Yet Kim has remained defiant, issuing an almost-daily barrage of threats and continuing to launch rockets and short-range missiles.
“We can no longer afford to be pushed around by North Korea’s deceipt and intimidation”, Lim said.
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In addition to supporting the tough United Nations resolutions, Park’s government has brought in unprecedented bilateral sanctions against North Korea, closing an inter-Korean industrial park and cutting off all humanitarian aid except for babies and pregnant women.
