Washington: The US is assessing military options in response to North Korea’s weapons programs, a White House foreign policy advisor confirmed on Friday, saying another provocative test was a question of “when” rather than “if”.
As speculation mounted that Pyongyang is preparing to fire a trial nuke or missile on a major anniversary on Saturday, the official said the US was poised to deal with the security threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
“Military options are already being assessed,” the adviser said on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic, describing a fresh test as “possible”.
There are reports of activity at a nuclear test site in North Korea ahead of Saturday’s 105th anniversary of the birth of the country’s founder Kim Il-Sung.
“They have telegraphed a bit, it’s no surprise that the anniversary is on Saturday, traditionally he has the big parade and rolls out his weapons and his mock weapons,” said the adviser.
“Unfortunately it’s not a new surprise for us, (North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un)continues to develop this programme, he continues to launch missiles into the Sea of Japan. With the regime it’s not a matter of if, it’s when.” AFP
