Amano: North Korea is now a new global threat

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday that North Korea appears to have made "rapid progress" in weapon development following its sixth nuclear test, and is now considered "a new global threat." The sixth nuclear test by North Korea was conducted on September 3, which experts say caused an earthquake "ten times" stronger than the last nuclear test by the country. North Korea claims this test was conducted with a "hydrogen bomb." Pyongyang has also announced that this bomb is capable of being mounted on intercontinental missiles. According to Reuters, Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the IAEA, speaking to reporters in Seoul on October 7, referred to this recent test and said, "The explosive power of this bomb is much larger than the previous test, which means that North Korea has made very rapid progress in this area." Mr. Amano, who spoke after meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, added, "Along with other factors, this action is a new threat. It is a global threat." The Director General further stated that the IAEA does not have the position to determine whether the bomb from North Korea's sixth test was hydrogen-based or not. He emphasized the importance of global unity in response to this "new threat." Despite global pressure, North Korea has recently increased its missile tests, and South Korean officials said on Thursday that as the anniversary of the founding of the North Korean Communist Party approaches, Pyongyang is likely to take more "provocative actions." The recent verbal conflict between the North Korean leader and the U.S. President has worsened the situation. This verbal tension escalated to the point where Donald Trump, in his speech at the United Nations, mentioned the "total destruction" of North Korea; in response, the North Korean leader stated that Trump would "pay dearly" for this threat. Various countries, while intensifying pressure through the United Nations and imposing sanctions on North Korea, have urged the leaders of that country and the U.S. President to resolve their issues through diplomatic and peaceful means. The United Nations Security Council on September 20 reacted to North Korea's sixth nuclear test by unanimously tightening sanctions against Pyongyang. China, which is North Korea's most important trading partner, also announced on October 6 that it had ordered the suspension of North Korean companies' activities on its territory in accordance with the UN Security Council's sanctions resolutions. Pyongyang has accused the United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, of intending to attack North Korea, and has repeatedly threatened to destroy the U.S. and its Asian allies. Washington and South Korea are essentially still in a state of war with North Korea since the Korean War ended in a ceasefire in 1953, not a peace treaty.