North Korea’s nuclear brinkmanship to bring peninsula nothing but disaster

North Korea launched its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sunday, playing a dangerous game of brinkmanship amid universal call for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

Despite opposition from around the world, Pyongyang clings to its own course to advance nuclear and missile programs, putting itself at odds with neighbors and risking a military confrontation with Washington.

The fresh nuclear test violated relevant UN Security Council resolutions and norms of international law, undermining the non-proliferation campaign and threatening peace and security in the region and beyond.

The Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, as China reiterated, is in essence a security issue. Washington’s belligerent tone and military exercises on North Korea’s doorstep ate into Pyongyang’s sense of security.

Even South Korea, a US ally, has dismissed the military call. “Korea is a country that experienced a fratricidal war ... The destruction of war should not be repeated in this land,” the office of South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Sunday night.

If things get out of control, China and South Korea, Pyongyang’s two neighbors, will be the ones to suffer most, not the US that is tens of thousands of miles away.

Most importantly, North Korea should wake up to the fact that such a brinkmanship tactic can never bring security it pursues. It is imperative for Pyongyang to restore to reason and refrain from any actions that further fuel the tensions.

Beijing has been making efforts to break the current vicious cycle of rising tensions while seeking a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

China has proposed “suspension for suspension” approach, calling on North Korea to suspend its missile and nuclear activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale US-South Korea military drills, as well as the “dual-track” initiative to establish a peace mechanism in parallel.

Such efforts address the root concerns of security of related parties in a balanced way and are conducive to the resumption of dialogue and negotiations, which should be appreciated worldwide.

All ill judgments should be avoided and the tit-for-tat strategy is not the way things are meant to be.