North Korea considers nuclear test close to US elections, warns South Korea

North Korea may be mulling a nuclear test close to the US elections in November, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik said. said in a new interview published Sunday.

“North Korea has completed preparations to conduct a nuclear test when a decision is made,” Shin told Bloomberg in an interview in Tokyo on Sunday.

“We cannot rule out the possibility of this decisive moment occurring right before or after the US presidential elections to increase its influence against the US,” Shin added.

The warning comes amid increased tensions between North Korea and the allied countries of South Korea, Japan and the United States. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has continued to expand his country’s nuclear arsenal, frequently warning against any increased cooperation between his rivals.

Bloomberg reported over the weekend that the South Korean defense minister was in Tokyo to sign an agreement with the US and Japan to ensure new steps in their security cooperation, including joint military training.

Earlier this month, President Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol authorized the signing of joint nuclear deterrence guidelines, prompting Pyongyang to threaten to increase its own nuclear warfighting capability, criticizing the effort for revealing an intent to invade North Korea.

Shin also told Bloomberg in the recent interview that North Korea may be encouraged to carry out nuclear tests due to increased cooperation with Russia.

“We believe that Russia is providing technical support not only for rockets but also for the conventional weapons modernization that North Korea wants,” Shin told Bloomberg. “We will need to monitor over time how these technologies are transferred to North Korea and lead to changes in its weapons systems.”

The Hill reached out to the State Department, the Pentagon and the National Security Council for a response.

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