Seoul: North Korea has tested a nuclear detonation device probably in preparation for its seventh nuclear test, the South Korean presidential office said on Wednesday.
Yonhap quoted Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the National Security Office, as saying that Seoul does not believe a nuclear test will happen in the next day or two, but it could “certainly” take place after that.
Earlier in the day, Pyongyang had launched three ballistic missile, including a presumed intercontinental ballistic missile, just hours after United States President Joe Biden ended his Asian tour.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the first missile was launched at 6 am local time on Wednesday, followed by the second launch 37 minutes later and the third five minutes after that.
South Korean military said it was “maintaining a full readiness posture” and closely cooperating with the US.
Soon after North Korea’s missile launch, South Korea’s new-elected President Yoon Suk-Yeol immediately convened a meeting of the National Security Council.
This year North Korea has carried out a record number of missile launches, including a test of its biggest intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017, leading to the US issuing warnings that Pyongyang was poised for more weapons tests as President Biden headed to South Korea and Japan, in his first visit to the region as president.
