In response to the United States’ recent deployment of a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea, North Korea’s Defence Minister, Kang Sun Nam, issued a warning through state media. Kang stated that the increasing visibility of strategic nuclear assets in South Korea could meet the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons, as specified in North Korea’s laws. This statement was reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday.
Tensions between North Korea and the US have been escalating in recent weeks, with Pyongyang conducting multiple ballistic missile tests in defiance of international sanctions and US objections. Last week, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, which prompted a joint statement from the US, South Korea, and Japan condemning the act.
Amidst the rising tensions, the US and South Korea held their first Nuclear Consultative Group meeting this week. The White House reaffirmed its commitment to providing “extended deterrence” to South Korea in the face of any nuclear attack by North Korea.
On Thursday, North Korea criticised the nuclear meeting, expressing concerns about the potential for a military clash on the Korean Peninsula.
In a separate incident, a 23-year-old US soldier named Travis King intentionally crossed into North Korea this week. US officials believe he is now in North Korean custody. King had served nearly two months in a South Korean prison for assault and was supposed to return to the US. However, he skipped his flight, joined a tour group to the demilitarized zone, and then ran across the border into North Korea.
The current situation comes amid a halt in high-level meetings between the US and North Korea, which were initiated under former US President Donald Trump but have not continued under President Joe Biden. The two countries had previously pledged to work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but the efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear weapons program did not progress.
North Korea conducted its first nuclear weapons test in 2006, in violation of an international ban. Since then, the United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on North Korea through numerous resolutions to curb its nuclear and missile programs.
Last year, Russia and China vetoed a Security Council proposal for additional penalties on North Korea, arguing that sanctions had not effectively curbed its nuclear ambitions.
