North ‘close’ to nuclear test, says South Korea
23 April 2014 5:37 AM IST
‘Our military is currently detecting a lot of activity in and around the Punggye-ri nuclear test site,’ defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told a press briefing.
Kim stressed that North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme was at a stage where it could conduct a test ‘at any moment’ once the order was given by the leadership in Pyongyang.
North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests, in 2006, 2009 and 2013, all at the Punggye-ri site in the northeast of the country. Kim declined to give details of the monitored activity, but cautioned that it may be no more than a ‘deception tactic’ to raise tensions ahead of Obama’s visit which is due to begin on Friday.
‘We are thinking of possibilities that the North may stage a surprise nuclear test or just pretend to stage a nuclear test,’ Kim said. Obama is visiting Seoul as part of an Asia tour, and there has been widespread speculation that the North may stage a provocation to coincide with the trip. Kim said the South Korean and US militaries were closely sharing intelligence and Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff had set up a special task force in case Pyongyang goes ahead with an underground detonation.
‘We plan to thoroughly prepare for a fourth nuclear test or any other form of provocation,’ Kim said. On Monday, Pyongyang slammed Obama’s upcoming trip as a ‘dangerous’ move that would escalate military tension and bring the ‘dark clouds of a nuclear arms race’ over the Korean peninsula.
Several analysts said they were sceptical that North Korea would carry out a test at the current time, and said Pyongyang was just seeking to rattle a few cages during the Obama visit.
Kim stressed that North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme was at a stage where it could conduct a test ‘at any moment’ once the order was given by the leadership in Pyongyang.
North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests, in 2006, 2009 and 2013, all at the Punggye-ri site in the northeast of the country. Kim declined to give details of the monitored activity, but cautioned that it may be no more than a ‘deception tactic’ to raise tensions ahead of Obama’s visit which is due to begin on Friday.
‘We are thinking of possibilities that the North may stage a surprise nuclear test or just pretend to stage a nuclear test,’ Kim said. Obama is visiting Seoul as part of an Asia tour, and there has been widespread speculation that the North may stage a provocation to coincide with the trip. Kim said the South Korean and US militaries were closely sharing intelligence and Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff had set up a special task force in case Pyongyang goes ahead with an underground detonation.
‘We plan to thoroughly prepare for a fourth nuclear test or any other form of provocation,’ Kim said. On Monday, Pyongyang slammed Obama’s upcoming trip as a ‘dangerous’ move that would escalate military tension and bring the ‘dark clouds of a nuclear arms race’ over the Korean peninsula.
Several analysts said they were sceptical that North Korea would carry out a test at the current time, and said Pyongyang was just seeking to rattle a few cages during the Obama visit.
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