Washington, July 27 (Representative) The US government believes that North Korea could potentially be ready to conduct a new nuclear test although there is no knowledge of the timing around it, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, South Korean Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se expressed fears that their northern neighbor may conduct a new nuclear test on July 27, the anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice, or shortly after that.
“We’ve been very clear that North Korea could be ready to conduct a nuclear test, that’s something we said very, very openly. I won’t speculate about the timing here, or what that could look like,” Kirby told a briefing. Amidst the reports that Pyongyang could be preparing its next nuclear test, Kirby said he could not confirm the information, but assured the US government would closely monitor any further developments around this situation. Washington expects such a test would rally its allies in a strong condemnation of the North Korean leadership, as it would only increase instability and insecurity in the region, Kirby added