North may conduct nuclear test: S Korean official
Iran Press TV
Wed Mar 5, 2014 2:55PM GMT
South Korean Defense Minister claims that North Korea could conduct a nuclear test as tensions continue to grow on the troubled Korean Peninsula.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin made remarks during an emergency meeting of the parliamentary defense committee in Seoul on Wednesday.
'I don't exclude the possibility of the North conducting additional long-range missile launches or a nuclear test,' Kim said.
The defense minister also noted the South Korean and US forces have stepped up surveillance status across the troubled region to prepare for contingencies.
The remarks come as Pyongyang have fired short-range missiles in a show of force against the ongoing military drills between Seoul and Washington.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the North Korean military has called the tests for the purpose of self-defense. The spokesman instead blamed the US and its regional allies for damaging regional stability.
'All our revolutionary strength's military actions, without exception, were conducted as defensive actions for justice in order to protect our air, sea and land of the country and people's safety as well as the peace of the region,' Korean Central News Agency quoted the official as saying.
Last year's drill fuelled tensions, with Pyongyang threatening a pre-emptive nuclear strike and US stealth bombers flying over the peninsula.
Tensions have been escalating between the two Koreas over the past few months.
Rail lines and other contacts between the two sides were first severed during the 1950-53 Korean War. No peace deal has been signed since then, meaning that Pyongyang and Seoul remain technically at war.
Thousands of US troops are stationed in South Korea and neighboring Japan.
Senior North Korean officials have often accused Washington of plotting with regional allies to topple the country's government.
JR/SL
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