Nuclear test conducted by N Korea, country claims

International Desk: South Korea's military conducted a live-fire exercise early Monday in response to North Korea's latest nuclear test.

The combined drill, carried out by the South Korean army and air force and intended to simulate a strike on North Korea's nuclear test site, involved surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and F-15K fighter jets hitting targets off the east coast of South Korea, according to a statement form the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

What happened:

-- North Korea said it successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb Sunday -- the country's sixth nuclear test.
-- The explosion created a magnitude-6.3 tremor, making it the most powerful weapon Pyongyang has ever tested.
-- Hours before the test, North Korean state media released pictures of the country's leader, Kim Jong Un inspecting what it claimed was a nuclear warhead being placed inside a missile.

Latest developments:

-- US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he is drafting tough sanctions against North Korea, adding "this isn't the time for just talk."
-- As US President Donald Trump was leaving a church service for Hurricane Harvey victims, he was asked by a reporter if the United States would attack North Korea. "We'll see," Trump responded.

-- US Defense Secretary James Mattis told reporters in front of the White House that any threat to the United States, its allies or its territories "will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming." 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 they remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula ... 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."

-- Trump took to Twitter after the announcement and said North Korea's "words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States." He added that Pyongyang has become a "great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success"; warned South Korea their "talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work"; and said Washington is considering "stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea."

-- Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is hosting an international financial summit, said in an opening ceremony speech that "incessant conflicts in some parts of the world and hotspot issues are posing challenges to world peace," according to a transcript published by Chinese state media.

-- Japanese Prime Minister said the threat against his country is now "more grave and imminent"; South Korean President Moon Jae-in called it an absurd strategic mistake."

Emergency session
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said the test was "profoundly destabilizing for regional security," and the UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting to discuss the issue for Monday at 10 a.m. ET.

The Security Council also met last week after North Korea shot a missile that overflew the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Though the only thing to come from that meeting was a strongly-worded statement, the Security Council did unanimously pass a new round of sanctions in early August. Those are meant to choke off North Korea's ability to bring in revenue across the globe.

"For months North Korea refrained from conducting a nuclear test and from launching missiles over Japan," said David Wright, the co-director of the Union of Concerned Scientists Global Security Program. "It now seems to have decided to end that restraint."

It's unclear if a new round of sanctions is in the works, but Japan and South Korea have both signaled they are in favor of applying more diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang.

However, a noticeable divide has emerged between Washington and Seoul when it comes to how exactly the world should respond to North Korea's latest move.
After President Trump's tweet on South Korean appeasement, the South Korean President's office said in a statement that it will "pursue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through peace with our allies."

The country's current President Moon Jae-in, who was elected in May, is seen as more open to dialogue than his hawkish predecessor.
China, long viewed as North Korea's only real regional ally, also condemned the test.

"We strongly urge (the) North Korea side to face up to the firm will of the international community on the denuclearization of the peninsula, abide by relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, stop taking wrong actions that exacerbate the situation and are not in its own interest, and return to the track of resolving the issue through dialogue," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

Source: CNN



risingbd/Dhaka/Sep 4, 2017/Nasim