S Korea warns North against conducting nuclear test
Iran Press TV
Tue Apr 22, 2014 5:10PM
South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se has strongly warned the North Korean government against conducting a new nuclear test.
Speaking at an international forum in Seoul, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se accused Pyongyang of preparing to test another nuclear device.
'If North Korea goes ahead with another nuclear test as it has publicly warned, it will be a game changer,' the foreign minister said on Tuesday.
'The international community will not tolerate North Korea's nuclear weapons,' the top official added.
The remarks come as speculation is growing that authorities in Pyongyang are planning to conduct new nuclear test to coincide with US President Barack Obama's visit to the peninsula this week.
The developments come as Pyongyang fired short-range missiles in a show of force against the recently held military drills between Seoul and Washington.
Tensions have recently been on the rise between the two Koreas as Pyongyang accuses its southern neighbor and Washington of 'rehearsing for an invasion.'
Last year's drill fuelled tensions, with Pyongyang threatening a pre-emptive nuclear strike and US stealth bombers flying over the peninsula.
Pyongyang recently announced that it would strengthen its nuclear deterrence for self-defense in the face of US threats.
Pyongyang also said that it will take additional measures to demonstrate its might as long as threats from the US persist.
Thousands of US troops are stationed in South Korea and neighboring Japan.
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.
JR/PR
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