In accordance with the law, South Korea plans to establish an archives aimed at collecting cases on the North’s abuses and set up a foundation to support relevant civic groups by end-September.
Advertisement
After the test, the North’s nuclear weapons institute said it would take unspecified measures to further boost its nuclear capability, which analysts said hinted at a possible sixth nuclear test.
Citing Pyongyang’s claim that it successfully miniaturized nuclear warheads small enough to fit on ballistic missiles, Park said the DPRK’s nuclear and missile programs are not a simple blackmail but an urgent, realistic threat targeting South Korea.
“We will be working closely with the Republic of Korea and other partners in the six-party talks and the members of the Security Council to come up with an appropriately strong response to their latest provocation”.
“Our intention is to secure the strongest possible (U.N. Security Council) resolution that includes new sanctions as quickly as possible”, Kim told a news briefing after meeting his South Korean counterpart.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang Gyun said Monday that South Korean and US intelligence authorities believe North Korea has the ability to detonate another atomic device at any time at one of its tunnels at its main Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where the five previous atomic explosions took place.
Japan is already considering additional independent sanctions on North Korea.
“China has been very clear that they understand the need for a new United Nations security council resolution in response to the latest North Korean nuclear test”, Kim said. Seoul, Washington and their allies subsequently vowed to apply more pressure and sanctions on Pyongyang.
The three B-1, B-2, and B-52 strategic bombers are the most important strategic assets of the nuclear umbrella the USA provides since they can take off quickly and conduct precision strikes on North Korea’s key facilities in an emergency. The U.S. military said some aircraft will be deployed Tuesday but declined to disclose what type or how many planes.
North Korea’s pursuit of missiles and nuclear weapons is one of the most intractable foreign policy problems for the USA and South Korea.
A US Air Force U-2 jet flies over Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
“The envisioned creation of the archives is meaningful as the government will probe and compile the North’s rights violations, the jobs that the private sector has previously done”, the ministry said.
Shortly after the North’s test, South Korea’s top military intelligence officer, Kim Hwang Rok, said North Korea has two or three unused tunnels in the Punggy-ri test site where it can conduct an additional test if it wants.
Worldwide diplomatic efforts to rid the North of its bombs have been stalled since the last round of meetings in late 2008.
Advertisement
Such flyovers are common during tense times.
