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Wed, September 27, 2023 | 21:24
-------------------------
N. Korea's 5th nuclear test appears imminent
정부 "北 5차 핵실험 지금 당장에라도 이뤄질 수 있어"
Posted : 2016-03-21 16:39
Updated : 2016-03-22 10:28
Jun Ji-hye
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Pyongyang fires five projectiles into East Sea

By Jun Ji-hye

The government said Monday that North Korea is apparently ready to conduct a fifth nuclear test.

Defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told a regular briefing that the North is "capable of carrying out an additional nuclear test at any time once its leadership decides to do so."

He said the militaries in South Korea and the United States were keeping a close watch on activities at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the isolated country, where it conducted its fourth nuclear test, Jan. 6.

Unification ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee also said that the North was able to conduct a fifth nuclear test "immediately," adding the government was preparing for "all possibilities."

The comments from the ministries come after 38 North, a website operated by the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, stated Saturday that there has been "continued activity" at the Punggye-ri site.

The website specializing in North Korea news said it was highly likely that the site is capable of "supporting additional tests at any time."

Later on Monday, the North fired five short-range projectiles into the East Sea from 3:19 p.m. — the latest in a series of provocations following the imposition of international sanctions.

'N. Korea is capable of conducting fifth nuke test at any time'
2016-03-21 11:22  |  North Korea
N. Korea fires missiles into East Sea
2016-03-21 15:47  |  North Korea
China urges N. Korea not to violate UN resolutions after projectile launch
2016-03-21 18:30  |  North Korea
Air Force conducts air raid drill on simulated N. Korean military installation
2016-03-21 18:29  |  Defense
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the projectiles, presumed to be those from the 300-millimeter-caliber multiple launch rocket system, were fired from Hamheung, South Hamgyeong Province, and flew some 200 kilometers.

A JCS official said that it was currently analyzing the nature of the projectiles, adding, "The military is closely monitoring movements of North Korean soldiers in preparation for any additional provocations."

The repressive state recently claimed that it had miniaturized nuclear warheads that could be fitted to its missiles, and that it has developed a missile reentry vehicle, necessary for a nuclear-armed ballistic missile to deliver its payload after reentering the Earth's atmosphere.

But officials from Seoul and Washington, as well as outside experts, mostly say that such claims have not been verified as there have been no open tests.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said last week that his regime will test nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles "in a short time" in an apparent effort to respond to such questions raised by the international community.

"Considering previous North Korean provocation patterns and the comments from Kim Jong-un, the possibility cannot be ruled that the North may have already completed preparations for an additional nuclear test," Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, told reporters. "The additional test will depend on Kim's decision, not the regime's technical capability."

South Korean defense officials are also preparing for the possibility that the North may fire a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile with a range of 3,000 kilometers, given that the regime has raised the intensity of its provocations by firing two short-range ballistic missiles, believed to be a type of Scud, into the East Sea, on March 10, and two mid-range missiles, presumed to be of the Nodong-type, also into the East Sea, on March 18.

Scuds with a range of up to 500 kilometers are capable of striking targets across the Korean Peninsula, while the Nodong with a range of 1,300 kilometers can hit a target on the Japanese mainland and Okinawa. The Musudan could reach Guam.

As part of efforts to maintain readiness to counter provocative actions from the North, the South Korean Air Force conducted a large-scale attack drill, Monday, which envisions the destruction of the North's key military facilities.

Sixteen F-15Ks, KF-16s fighter jets and FA-50 light attack fighters as well as two C-130H transport planes were mobilized during the drill.

"The large-scale attack drill took place to better deter the North's additional provocations and enhance our readiness posture," the Air Force stated in a release.


정부 "北 5차 핵실험 지금 당장에라도 이뤄질 수 있어"

통일부 대변인 '과학적인 근거' '北 지도부 결심에 달려 있어'
국방부 '지도부의 결심에 따라 언제든지 핵실험을 할 수 있는 상태'

정부는 21일 북한의 5차 핵실험 가능성에 대해 '5차 핵실험은 지금 당장에라도 이루어질 수 있을 것으로 보고 있다'고 밝혔다.

정준희 통일부 대변인은 이날 정례브리핑에서 '5차 핵실험 징후가 보인다고 하는데 통일부는 어느 정도 파악하고 있느냐'는 질문에 이같이 밝히고, '정부는 모든 가능성에 대해 대비를 하고 있다'고 말했다.

정 대변인은 '지금 당장에라도 핵실험이 이뤄질 수 있다'고 보는 근거에 대해서는 '어떤 과학적인 근거'라며 '북한의 지도부가 핵실험을 공언한 바가 있기 때문에 지도부의 결심에 따라서는 언제든지 핵실험을 실시할 수 있다'고 설명했다.

문상균 국방부 대변인도 같은 날 정례브리핑에서 북한이 추가 핵실험을 위한 준비를 마친 것으로 보인다는 미국의 북한전문 매체 '38노스'의 보도에 대해 '북한은 지도부의 결심에 따라 언제든지 핵실험을 할 수 있는 상태를 유지하고 있다'며 '이러한 측면에서 우리 군은 한미 정보당국과 함께 그런 동향들을 면밀하게 감시하면서 대비하고 있다'고 말했다.

문 대변인은 북한이 최근 실시한 대남상륙작전을 소개하며 총참모장(합참의장 격)을 인민무력부장(국방부 장관 격)보다 먼저 호명한 것과 관련 '총참모부와 인민무력부의 호명 순서는 상황에 따라 수시로 바뀌어왔다'고 말했다.

이어 '그렇기 때문에 최근 훈련과 관련해서 총참모부에 무게감이 실리고 있는 것은 사실인 것으로 판단된다'며 '그래서 북한의 도발징후에 대해 면밀하게 추적하고 있다'고 밝혔다. (연합뉴스)
Emailjjh@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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