North Korea conducts N-test; US threatens Pyongyang with ‘huge’ military response
It can lead to serious consequences, says Russia
WASHINGTON/LONDON/SEOUL: North Korea on Sunday conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, prompting the US to threaten Pyongyang with a “massive military response.”
North Korea claimed that the test was of an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile, marking a dramatic escalation of the regime’s stand-off with the US and its allies.
“The national security team is monitoring this closely,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
President Donald Trump described North Korea as a “rogue nation” and said its actions “continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.”
Trump refused to rule out military action and threatening to cut off trade with any country doing business with Pyongyang.
“Appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing,” he said in messages on Twitter.
Asked while leaving a church service whether the US would attack North Korea, Trump replied: “We’ll see.”
Hours before the test Trump had talked by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the “escalating” nuclear crisis in the region. North Korea, which carries out its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions, said on state television that a hydrogen bomb test ordered by leader Kim Jong-un had been a “perfect success.”
The bomb was designed to be mounted on its newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the North said. There was no independent confirmation that the detonation was a hydrogen bomb, rather than a less powerful atomic device, but Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tokyo could not rule out such a possibility.
The test drew swift international condemnation. The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano said the nuclear test was “an extremely regrettable act” that was “in complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community.”
French President Emmanuel Macron called on the international community to react firmly to this “new provocation,” and South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Seoul would push for strong steps to further isolate the North, including new UN sanctions. Japan also raised the prospect of further sanctions, saying curbs on North Korea’s oil trade would be on the table.
China, North Korea’s sole major ally, said it strongly condemned the nuclear test and urged Pyongyang to stop its “wrong” actions. Russia said North Korea risked “serious consequences” but urged cool heads to avoid further escalation.
Massive response Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said the US will launch a “massive military response” to threats from North Korea, He spoke after Trump met with his national security advisers..
“Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming,” Mattis said.
He added: “Kim Jong-un should take heed of the United Nations Security Council’s unified voice. All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses and remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
He said, “We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said, we have many options to do so.”
His comments came after Trump warned the time for “appeasement” was over and threatened drastic economic sanctions.
The unexpectedly powerful test Sunday was said to exceed in magnitude the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan — the resultant shock caused momentary panic in parts of China — and Trump slammed it as “very hostile and dangerous to the United States.”