Meeting of US, Japan, and South Korea Foreign Ministers Following North Korean Missile Test

John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, is scheduled to meet with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts in New York on Sunday, September 29, to discuss North Korea's latest nuclear test. Meanwhile, weapons experts estimate that North Korea may be capable of producing 20 nuclear bombs by the end of this year. According to Reuters, North Korea has developed its uranium enrichment process over the past decade to build nuclear bombs and may be able to produce 150 kilograms of enriched uranium in a year. Reuters reports that this amount of enriched uranium is sufficient to build six nuclear bombs annually, and given its plutonium reserves, North Korea could produce 20 nuclear bombs by the end of this year. The amount of plutonium reserves in North Korea is estimated to be between 32 to 54 kilograms. Experts have announced these figures after analyzing satellite images of North Korea's nuclear sites. The South Korean Ministry of Defense had previously estimated North Korea's plutonium reserves at 40 kilograms. However, experts say that accurately estimating North Korea's nuclear capabilities is 'impossible,' but given the country's fifth nuclear test, it does not seem that Pyongyang is facing a shortage of raw materials. Jeffrey Lewis, a weapons expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, stated, 'North Korea has largely become self-sufficient in continuing its nuclear program despite international sanctions, although it may still be struggling to procure some raw materials.' Following North Korea's fifth nuclear test, the US, Japan, and South Korea are seeking to impose severe sanctions against Pyongyang. Seoul announced on Wednesday that the foreign ministers of the US, Japan, and South Korea would meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss further pressures on North Korea. China and Russia support the resumption of six-party talks with North Korea, but the agreement of the US, Japan, and South Korea is also necessary for the resumption of these talks. Washington has stated that it is willing to negotiate with North Korea only if the country adheres to its nuclear disarmament commitments, but Pyongyang has not yet agreed to this precondition. On Friday, September 19, North Korea announced that it had successfully conducted its fifth nuclear test with military functionality. The magnitude of this nuclear explosion is estimated to be two-thirds of the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima. Members of the UN Security Council agreed on Friday, September 19, in an emergency meeting to discuss North Korea's new nuclear test and to impose new sanctions against Pyongyang. Simultaneously, the International Atomic Energy Agency strongly criticized North Korea's new nuclear test, describing it as a 'blatant violation of several UN Security Council resolutions' and 'a disregard for the repeated demands of the international community.' The latest nuclear test, assessed as North Korea's 'strongest' nuclear test, also drew reactions from several world leaders. Barack Obama, the US President, warned North Korea that its actions would have 'serious consequences' for the country. The US Secretary of Defense added that the Chinese government 'has an important responsibility in this process' and must help stop North Korea's nuclear programs. Francois Hollande and Park Geun-hye, the Presidents of France and South Korea, and Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, also condemned this test, calling it 'unacceptable.' In January 2016, North Korea conducted its fourth military nuclear test, which was a hydrogen bomb. This led to reactions from the UN Security Council, the adoption of international sanctions, and separate sanctions from other countries against North Korea. The number of international sanctions against North Korea has reached five since it conducted its first nuclear test in 2006. In this context, the US is increasing pressure on North Korea in response to the nuclear test. The agreement in the Security Council to impose new sanctions against North Korea.