North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watched a ballistic missile launch test and ordered the country to improve its nuclear attack capability by conducting more tests, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported yesterday.
The report did not say when the test took place, but it was likely referring to North Korea’s launch of two short-range missiles on Thursday that flew 500km and splashed into the sea.
“Dear comrade Kim Jong-un said work ... must be strengthened to improve nuclear attack capability and issued combat tasks to continue nuclear explosion tests to assess the power of newly developed nuclear warheads and tests to improve nuclear attack capability,” KCNA said.
The North Korean leader was quoted in state media earlier in the week as saying his country had miniaturized nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles.
Tensions have risen sharply on the Korean Peninsula after the North conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and fired a long-range rocket last month leading to the UN Security Council to adopt a new sanctions resolution.
Conducting more nuclear tests would be in clear violation of UN sanctions which also ban ballistic missile tests, although Pyongyang has rejected them. North Korea has a large stockpile of short-range missiles and is developing long-range missiles and ICBMs.
South Korean Ministry of Unification spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said: “It’s simply rash and thoughtless behavior by someone who has no idea how the world works,” when asked about Kim’s comments.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Pyongyang to “cease destabilizing acts,” adding that Ban remained “gravely concerned” by the situation.
In China, North Korea’s most important economic and diplomatic backer, the country’s top newspaper, the People’s Daily, urged all sides to be “patient and brave,” show goodwill and resume the talks process.
South Korea said it did not believe that North Korea had successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead or deployed a functioning intercontinental ballistic missile.
The US Department of Defense said this week it had seen no evidence that North Korea had succeeded in miniaturizing a warhead.
However, Admiral Bill Gortney, the officer responsible for defending US airspace, told a US Senate panel on Thursday it was “prudent” for him to assume North Korea could both miniaturize a warhead and put it on an ICBM that could target the US.
“Intel community gives it a very low probability of success, but I do not believe the American people want [me] to base my readiness assessment on a low probability,” he said.
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