North Korea announces they are moving forward with another nuclear test
North Korea said on Wednesday that its nuclear weapon program was no longer negotiable, and indicated that it might conduct its third nuclear test to retaliate against the United Nations Security Council’s tightening of sanctions against the isolated yet highly militarized country.
The UN Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a resolution, the third of its kind since 2006, condemning a North Korean rocket launch as violating a ban on missile activity.
North Korea’s foreign ministry swiftly rejected the move early Wednesday, maintaining that the launch was a peaceful bid to explore space and accusing the US of “hostile” intent in leading the push for punishment.
In the face of what it considers to be a US threat, North Korea “will take steps for physical counteraction to bolster the military capabilities for self-defense, including the nuclear deterrence, both qualitatively and quantitatively,” the ministry warned in a statement.
Analysts say the wording hints at a nuclear test.
In 2006 and 2009, North Korea responded to similar Security Council punishment by detonating devices underground, which experts say is a key step in the process of developing an atomic bomb small enough to mount on a long-range missile.
“Things are lining up to make a nuclear test likely,” said Daniel Pinkston, a Seoul-based analyst with the International Crisis Group. “There’s a long-term pattern. The logic is to demonstrate your strength.”
North Korea has a new leader, Kim Jong-un, took power in December 2011 following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, so he will be revealing how he will respond to these actions.
