The United States threatens a “swift and forceful” response if North Korea tests nuclear

The Deputy Secretary of State for USAWendy Sherman, warned today from Seoul to North Korea with executing a “swift and forceful” response if the regime of Kim Jong-un conducts the nuclear test it has been preparing for months.

The threat came at a press conference after Sherman meet with his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun-dongwith whom he discussed the latest Pyongyang weapons tests, which has not responded to the offers of dialogue that Washington has been raising since last year.

“Any nuclear test would be a total violation of UN Security Council resolutions”remembered Sherman in statements collected by the Yonhap agency.

“Faced with such a test, there would be a quick and forceful response,” he added.

The day before, US and South Korean forces responded to the eight short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) launched by Pyongyang on Sunday (the largest sequence of launches in a single test by the regime in this 2022) also firing eight SRBM missiles of the ATACMS system as a test.

It is the second time that the allies have responded in this way to a North Korean projectile test since the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol became president on May 10.which has promised a tougher hand if Pyongyang conducts weapons tests.

In turn, US President Joe Biden promised Yoon during his visit to Seoul late last month that The US will toughen its deterrent posture on the peninsula based on the actions of the northern regime.

Since the beginning of the year, satellites have captured preparations in Punggye-ri (northeast of the country), for a new nuclear test for which, according to experts, the only thing missing is the execution order of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Sherman wanted to reiterate today, despite the wishes of the Biden Administration to resume the dialogue without preconditions on denuclearization, stalled since 2019.

“USA does not harbor any hostile intent toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea’s official name). We continue to urge Pyongyang to stop its destabilizing and provocative activities and choose the path of diplomacy,” he said.

North Korea In 2021, it approved a five-year weapons modernization plan that is behind the record number of missile launches carried out this year and the aforementioned nuclear test.