Washington expresses concern over possible North Korean missile test

The White House national security adviser said the Biden administration was concerned that North Korea might conduct another missile test. The Washington administration currently sees no direct evidence that the DPRK will conduct a nuclear test, but considers it possible and a matter of concern. Jake Sullivan, national security aide to the US president, stated this in an interview published on CBS on Sunday.

“I have been concerned for some time [with the possibility] of North Korea conducting a nuclear test, which would be its seventh ... And I remain concerned. I do not see any direct evidence that this will happen. But it would not surprise if North Korea took steps to conduct another nuclear test regarding its ICBM capability," he said.

"We are following all these tests and these developments very closely. And we are coordinating extremely closely with the allies, with Japan and with [South] Korea, to ensure a coordinated response to this threat," Sullivan added. The US national security adviser stressed that Washington "made it clear to North Korea" that it was ready "to hold a meeting and consultations without preconditions regarding its nuclear program." "And we've also made it clear to China that the United States is ready for diplomatic engagement and North Korea is not," he added. According to Sullivan, "China also has a role to play here."

As the assistant to the President of the United States emphasized, Washington and its allies, in the light of steps from Pyongyang, which they consider provocative, intend to "increase activity" in order to "respond to the threat." Recall that in June North Korea launched two short-range missiles off its eastern coast while Sullivan was meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in Tokyo. For now, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arsenal have stalled.

The United States, South Korea and Japan conducted a trilateral missile defense exercise in the international waters of the Sea of Japan, the South Korean Navy said on Sunday. security areas between South Korea, the United States and Japan, as well as nuclear and missile threats from the DPRK."