A senior South Korean official said Wednesday that an agreement was reached between allies Japan and the United States for an “unparalleled” response if North Korea conducts a seventh nuclear test.
The warning to North Korea was issued by South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong, who held a joint press conference in Tokyo with Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeo Mori and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. .
“We agreed that if North Korea went ahead with its seventh nuclear test, it would require a response of unparalleled scale,” he said.
North Korea recently conducted a series of unannounced missile tests, including one that flew over northern Japan.
Cho and Sherman denounced North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launches as “reckless and unstable,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said, adding that Sherman continued to insist that his commitment to the defense of his allies remained “impregnable.” He added that he made it clear to allies that
Sherman said Tuesday that the United States is ready to use its full military capabilities “including nuclear, conventional and missile defense” to defend Japan and South Korea.
Enhanced rhetoric focused on North Korea is part of a strategy by Washington and its allies to strengthen defense and deterrence, according to Secretary of State Anthony Brinken.
Blinken told Bloomberg: interview on wednesday The United States and its allies fear North Korea appears to be preparing another nuclear test.
“Retrospectively last year, we made it clear to North Korea that we were willing to engage with North Korea without preconditions to move toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Blinken said, to which North Korea responded. He added that he did not. those overtures.
“Actually, the reaction was exactly as you quoted: it was an increase in the number of missile tests, potentially another possible nuclear test, the seventh they have conducted,” he said. Said.
Washington will continue to work with allies and partners to strengthen defenses and strengthen deterrence, while exerting “appropriate pressure” on North Korea for actions that Blinken called “dangerous” and “destabilizing.” We are determined to cooperate closely.
Japan’s Defense Minister Hamada recently said that North Korea has most likely succeeded in miniaturizing its nuclear warheads, while diversifying launch technologies will increase its missile capabilities to intercept such weapons. made things more difficult.
All three allies reaffirmed their joint goal of complete denuclearization of North Korea.
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Tom Ozimek has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education. The best writing advice he’s ever heard comes from Roy his Peter Clark.