Washington, April 7: North Korea could be planning to conduct its first nuclear weapon test in nearly five years. On the occasion of the 110th birth anniversary of its founder, according to a senior US official. The Guardian quoted Sung Kim, the special representative for North Korea policy at the US State Department. As saying that Washington believes Pyongyang could demonstrate its growing nuclear weapons capacity on 15 April. An annual holiday held to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of the country’s founder, Kim Il-sung.
The US official also called on the nation to refrain from such provocations following its recent long-range missile launch. “We are worried that in connection with the upcoming anniversary, the DPRK (North Korea) may be tempted to take another provocative action,” he said on Wednesday. “I don’t want to speculate too much. But I think it could be another missile launch, it could be a nuclear test.
Hopefully, the anniversary can pass without any further escalation,” he emphasized. Since 2006, the North has conducted six nuclear tests, four of them were launched under the current leader of the North, Kim Jong-un’s regime. Its last test, in 2017, was followed by a self-imposed moratorium. As Kim prepared for his first de-nuclearization summit with Donald Trump the following year, The Guardian reported. On Tuesday, Jong-un’s sister had said that Pyongyang would retaliate with nuclear strikes. If South Korea launched a pre-emptive attack, BBC reported. Kim Yo-jong had issued two statements responding to the remarks from South Korean officials. South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook had said the South was able to strike the North’s missile launch points – sparking the furious reaction, BBC reported.