Gov't urges calm amid concern over nuclear test

By Jun Ji-hye

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se ruled out the possibility of the United States carrying out a unilateral strike against North Korea as concern is growing that Pyongyang might conduct another nuclear test this weekend.

Yun told the National Assembly Thursday that President Donald Trump’s administration will not bypass the South Korean government in taking any military action against the North.

“The United States will only take important steps against the North after consultation with the South Korean government,” Yun said. “Ranking U.S. officials have repeatedly reaffirmed that the U.S. government will closely discuss its measures on the North with South Korea.”

His remarks came amid a flurry of reports that a sixth nuclear test by North Korea appears imminent to mark the 105th anniversary of the birth of its founder Kim Il-sung that falls Saturday.

A U.S.-based North Korea monitoring website, 38 North, said also on Thursday that a nuclear test at the North’s Punggye-ri test site seemed “primed and ready,” citing commercial satellite imagery from Wednesday.

The imagery showed “continued activity around the North Portal, new activity in the Main Administrative Area and a few personnel around the site’s Command Center,” 38 North said in a report.

Speculation has been rising that “D-Day” may be on or around the anniversary of Kim Il-sung’s birth, the North’s biggest national holiday called the “Day of the Sun.”

Yun Sun, an expert with the Washington-based Stimson Center, said that would be the most likely day for the North to conduct a nuclear test to maximize its political impact, according to Radio Free Asia, Monday.

The North is also believed to be preparing for a massive military parade on the day to display its weaponry, possibly including an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The 85th anniversary of the creation of the Korean People’s Army, which falls April 25, is also being mentioned as a possible date for a nuclear test.

However, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters there have been “no unusual” signs detected in connection with reports of possible provocations by the North.

Making a big mistake

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been making hawkish remarks on the North and signaling a will to use military force, continued doing so during an interview with Fox Business aired Wednesday.

“We are sending an armada, very powerful. We have submarines, very powerful, far more powerful than the aircraft carrier. That I can tell you. And we have the best military people on Earth,” Trump said, referring to a U.S. Navy strike group led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Carl Vinson heading to waters off the peninsula.

President Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was “making a big mistake” and that “I’m not like (former President) Obama” who he claimed talked about military action in advance.

Amid heightening security concerns, eyes are now on the upcoming visit of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to South Korea.

Pence will arrive in Seoul, Sunday, for a three-day visit that includes meetings with acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun, during which he is expected to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue and other challenges.

“During his trip, the vice president will emphasize President Trump’s continued commitment to U.S. alliances and partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region, highlight the administration’s economic agenda, and underscore America’s unwavering support for our troops at home and abroad,” the White House said last week when announcing Pence’s first trip to the Asia-Pacific region.