The remarks from Seoul’s top office came after Pyongyang’s first revelation of a uranium enrichment facility earlier in the day. The site produces weapons-grade nuclear material for nuclear warheads.
The official said that “the timing of a nuclear test can vary according to the decisions made by the North Korean leadership” regarding a concern that the regime will conduct another nuclear test ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
The official said both “the South Korean and the U.S. intelligence authorities are tracking the North’s behaviors, with all possibilities in mind.”
North Korea’s recent disclosure of its core military facility for uranium enrichment is seemingly a deliberate action to show off its presence before the United States elects its new president as well as an effort to raise its leverage and bargaining power in a potential negotiation with the United States.
During the visit, regime leader Kim ordered nuclear scientists and technicians to bolster the military’s nuclear competencies and expand its production capabilities. According to a report by the state-controlled Korea Central News Agency, Kim stressed the need to further augment the number of centrifuges in order to exponentially increase the number of nuclear weapons for self-defense.
The South Korean government evaluated that North Korea had completed its preparations to conduct a seventh nuclear test. Some security experts assumed that it is likely that Pyongyang will conduct the test before the U.S. presidential election.
BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]
