“There will be additional strong response in case of another (North Korean) nuclear test”, Blinken said, adding that such actions by North Korea were “unacceptable”.
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Blinken, who is meeting senior Japanese government officials in Tokyo, told reporters North Korea would be digging deeper into a hole if it pursued further provocations.
South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye said on Monday that signs have been detected that North Korea is preparing for another nuclear test as activity increased in the country’s main nuclear test site. The nuclear-armed state has staged several short- and mid-range missile launches but has yet to test the Musudan, which has an estimated range of anywhere between 2500km and 4000km.
Tension has been high on the divided Korean peninsula since the January test and a rocket launch a month later that was widely seen as a disguised ballistic missile test.
While chiding North Korea over its nuclear program, China’s ruling Communist Party has been trying to preserve its traditional friendship with the isolated ally, which is viewed by Beijing as a strategic buffer against American influence.
“Given current activities, we believe that there is a possibility that the North may stage an underground nuclear test, and are monitoring the situation accordingly”, Moon Sang-Gyun said at a regular press briefing. Experts say North Korea is still years away from developing a reliable long-range nuclear missile that could reach the US mainland.
Kim’s order came amid rising animosity with South Korea and the United States over their annual military drills that North Korea describes as an invasion rehearsal.
Park also threatened North Korea with tougher sanctions and isolation over another potential provocation from the country.
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Few North Korean officials study American politics like Ri, a longtime diplomat and former ambassador who now runs a Pyongyang think tank that monitors global events and reports back to North Korean leadership.
