North Korea: US, Japan, South Korea vow to issue 'unparalleled' response to potential nuclear test by Pyongyang

Japan, South Korea, and the United States have warned of a response should North Korea proceed with its nuclear test. The warning comes amidst fears that Pyongyang is preparing for its first nuclear test in five years following multiple weapons tests so far this year.

In a joint news conference in Tokyo Wednesday, the deputy foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan, and the US warned that they would issue a coordinated response they described as “unparalleled” to North Korea if it moves forward with its nuclear test.

US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman added that Washington would make use of its full military capabilities to protect its allies. Sherman also called on Pyongyang to cease any further provocations while stressing Washington’s commitment to Japan and South Korea.

“And we will use the full range of US defense capabilities to defend our allies, including nuclear, conventional, and missile defense capabilities,” said Sherman.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement that Sherman also reiterated that Washington was still willing to seek “serious and sustained dialogue” with North Korea.

South Korean first vice foreign minister Cho Hyun-dong, in his meeting with Sherman, raised concern regarding the new weapons policy in North Korea, which would raise the possibility of its arbitrary use of nuclear weapons. Cho said the new policy in Pyongyang is “creating serious tension in the Korean peninsula.”

Prior to meeting with Cho, Sherman met with Japanese vice foreign minister Takeo Mori and reaffirmed the Japan-US alliance and other shared goals, including North Korea’s denuclearization and the joint response to China’s increasing activities in the region.

Earlier this week, North and South Korea exchanged warning shots as they traded accusations of breaching their maritime borders.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said it broadcast warnings and fired warning shots to repel a North Korean merchant vessel that crossed the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas, the Northern Limit Line, in the early hours of Monday morning.

North Korea’s military, however, said it fired 10 artillery rounds when a South Korean navy ship breached the sea border, firing warning shots on the pretext of “tracking down an unidentified ship.”