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| Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy chief of the presidential National Security Office, speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul, May 18. Yonhap |
South Korea and the United States have a "Plan B" ready in case North Korea carries out a provocation during U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Seoul this week, a presidential official said Wednesday.
"At the moment, we assess that the possibility is relatively low of North Korea carrying out a nuclear test by the weekend, but preparations for an intercontinental ballistic missile launch are believed to be imminent," Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy chief of the presidential National Security Office, told reporters.
If the North undertakes a provocative act during Biden's visit, the South and the U.S. have prepared a "Plan B" to ensure the combined defense posture between the two countries, Kim said without elaborating on the plan.
Biden is set to arrive in Seoul, Friday, for his first summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Yoon and Biden will likely agree during Saturday's summit to add another "technological" pillar to the bilateral alliance, Kim said.
Kim also said the U.S. recently offered to send COVID-19 aid to North Korea to help the country contain a massive outbreak but received no response. (Yonhap)
