US, Japan, and South Korea Warning: North Korea Nuclear Bomb Test Would Face 'Unparalleled' Response

The United States, Japan, and South Korea warned Wednesday of an "unparalleled" response to North Korea if it pushes for its seventh nuclear bomb test.

North Korea may resume nuclear bomb testing for the first time since 2017, which concerns Washington and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region.

In a news conference in Tokyo, according to Reuters, South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong told journalists that the three nations have "agreed that an unparalleled scale of response would be necessary" if the seventh North Korea Nuclear Bomb nuclear test happens.

Cho was discussing colleagues Japanese and Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.

Sherman urged North Korea to stop its provocations, calling them "reckless" and profoundly destabilizing for the region.

The US official added that a North Korean nuclear test has "implications" for global security, as she delivers an indirect notice to Pyongyang's allies in the UN Security Council.

"We hope indeed that everyone on the Security Council would understand that any use of a nuclear weapon will change the world in incredible ways," Sherman said, per a Reuters report.

Sherman also reaffirmed that the US was continuing to "seek serious and sustained" discussion with North Korea, according to Al Jazeera.

In his conversations with Sherman, Cho voiced his fear that North Korea's recent adoption of a new nuclear weapons doctrine raises the risk of the country's nuclear weapons being used arbitrarily.

To counter a North Korean ballistic missile launch, the United States Navy's aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its support fleet conducted joint military drills with South Korean forces in September.

Last week, in response to South Korea's military exercises, Kim Jong Un led the launching of hundreds of artillery shells off North Korean shores in what it described as a "grave warning" to its southern neighbor.

Three Nations Strengthen Coalition Against Threats in the Region

Early on Tuesday, Sherman met with his Japanese counterpart, Mori, and emphasized the continued strengthening of the Japan-US alliance and other common goals, including the total denuclearization of North Korea and a cooperative reaction to China's increasingly assertive activities in the area.

Increasing nuclear and missile operations by North Korea "are a clear and severe challenge to the international community," Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeo Mori of Japan warned.

With an eye toward North Korea's denuclearization, "we decided to boost up the deterrent in our region," he added.

The trio of leaders claimed to have covered a wide range of topics in their conversation, from the war in Ukraine to China and Taiwan.

CNA reports that Mori and Cho denied any mention of the long-simmering tensions in bilateral relations between Japan and South Korea.

No Turning Back for Pyongyang

This year, China and Russia blocked a US-led effort to impose new sanctions on North Korea at the United Nations Security Council for the first time since Pyongyang began nuclear weapons testing in 2006.

According to ABC, North Korea has fired more than two dozen ballistic missiles this year, including one that reportedly soared over Japan.

Since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared his country an "irreversible" nuclear state last month, talks over his prohibited arms and North Korea Nuclear Bomb development programs have practically ceased.

According to CNA, Former US Pres. Donald Trump and Kim met three times, easing tensions but failing to reach a durable compromise. The country has also shown little interest in accepting US President Joe Biden's offer of working-level negotiations.

Tags

United States, Japan, South Korea, North korea, Nuclear weapons