 Won Sei-hoon, head of the National Intelligence Service, listens to a question during a hearing at the National Assembly Tuesday, during which he said North Korea appears ready to conduct a third nuclear test. / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun |
The chief of the nation’s spy agency said Tuesday that North Korea was capable of conducting a third nuclear test at anytime, but chances of such an act were slim due to regional efforts to rekindle multilateral denuclearization talks.
Lawmakers quoted Won Sei-hoon, director the National Intelligence Service, as making the assessment during a closed-door session of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee.
“The North has various test locations, and construction is progressing there, so it appears it is capable of conducting a test at anytime,” said Hwang Jin-ha, a lawmaker of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) citing Won.
The remark came as the two Koreas move to hold bilateral nuclear talks in a bid to pave the way for a resumption of the six-party talks on Pyongyang’s denuclearization, stalled in 2009 when the North walked away after being slapped with sanctions for its missile and nuclear tests.
“The North is now using a strategy of dialogue, but if no progress is shown, there is always the chance of missile or nuclear tests, or military provocations,” Won said, adding that chances for a test are low due to the possibility of talks.
Last week, after a meeting with his North Korean counterpart in Beijing, China’s top nuclear envoy Wu Dawei proposed that the nuclear delegates of the two Koreas hold dialogue first to reopen the six-nation talks. North Korea reportedly wants direct talks with the United States before restarting multilateral negotiations.
Speculation has been rampant over whether Seoul will demand an apology for Pyongyang’s two deadly attacks last year if the chief nuclear envoys from the two sides meet.
“We are considering many ways to gauge the North’s sincerity,” Won said. He also responded affirmatively when asked if the government would consider alternatives to a direct, official apology.
Regarding a speculated trip by North Korean heir Kim Jong-un to China, Won said no unusual movements had been detected and it was difficult to predict when something like that could happen. Analysts say such a trip would signal Beijing’s acceptance of the hereditary succession process.
Tensions remain high on the peninsula over Pyongyang’s shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in November and the sinking of the warship Cheonan eight months earlier, which killed a total of 50 people.
Analysts say the North uses provocative behavior to ratchet up the stakes ahead of rejoining talks.
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