U.S. President Barack Obama warned North Korea on its series of nuclear test, when he visited South Korea on Friday. Obama’s showing of concerns comes more than a month the North made an unusual announcement to the South about its live-fire artillery exercises which the latter responded.
“If North Korea were to make the mistake of engaging in another nuclear test, it should expect a firm response from the international community,” President Obama said when interviewed by Joong Ang Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, which was published a day before he arrived in Seoul.
“This is one of the reasons why the alliance is so important and collective self-defense is so important. But we are not surprised when they engage in irresponsible behavior. That’s been their pattern for the last couple of decades,” Mr Obama added, noting that he is not expecting North Korea to change its mind on nuclear testing.
Apparently, the U.S. president is referring to the report that Pyongyang is preparing a new nuclear test. This is after South Korean defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok earlier said that the North has already completed all the preparations the country needs to conduct its fourth nuclear test. The three previous North Korea nuclear tests occurred in 2006, 2009, and 2013.
“With all preparations done, it is only a matter of a political decision and strategic judgment for the North Korean leadership to conduct a nuclear test,” Kim Min-seok said, with United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon also calling on Pyongyang not to pursue its new nuclear test.
President Obama is set to have a meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Friday afternoon, and the North Korea test is expected to be a major topic to be discussed. The U.S. president is currently on a tour to 4 Asian countries. He recently visited Japan, and will also go to Malaysia and Philippines.
Reply