U.S., allies warn of North Korea nuclear test

Japan, South Korea, and the United States said on Wednesday that if North Korea tests a nuclear weapon, then their response would be “overwhelming.” Representatives from the allied nations made the statement at the end of the trilateral meeting about boosting their defense cooperation. In September, the North decreed that it could use nuclear weapons preemptively.

Will North Korea really conduct a nuclear weapons test? The United States, Japan, and South Korea believe it could happen soon. In 2022 alone, North Korea has launched more than 20 ballistic missiles at an unprecedented pace, including one that flew over northern Japan in early October. It has also flown jets near its border with South Korea at least once and fired artillery barrages toward the South in response to joint exercises between the United States and South Korea.

Dig deeper: Listen to my report on The World and Everything in It podcast about North Korea’s arsenal ambitions.