North Korea says new tests at rocket site will help it counter US threats
- Nuclear negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington remain stalled with a deadline approaching
North Korea said it successfully performed another “crucial test” at its long-range rocket launch site that will further strengthen its nuclear deterrent.
Pak Jong-chon, chief of the Korean People’s Army’s general staff, asserted on Saturday that North Korea has built up “tremendous power” and that the findings from the recent tests would be used to develop new weapons to allow the country to “definitely and reliably” counter US nuclear threats.
The North in recent weeks has been dialling up pressure to coax major concessions from the Trump administration as it approaches an end-of-year deadline set by leader Kim Jong-un to salvage faltering nuclear negotiations.
The Academy of Defence Science did not specify what was tested on Friday. Just days earlier, the North said it conducted a “very important test” at the site on the country’s northwestern coast, prompting speculation that it involved a new engine for either an ICBM or a space launch vehicle.
The testing activity and defiant statements suggest that the North is preparing to do something to provoke the United States if Washington doesn’t back down and make concessions to ease sanctions and pressure on Pyongyang in deadlocked nuclear negotiations.
