The Biden administration has warned North Korea of stronger action if it continues to conduct nuclear tests.
What Happened: According to Washington and a United Nations watchdog agency, Pyongyang is preparing to soon set off its first atomic device since 2017, Bloomberg reported.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, in Seoul on Tuesday, in a meeting with her South Korean counterpart, said, “there would be a swift and forceful response to such a test.”
She added that “any nuclear tests would be in complete violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions” and “would be very destabilizing to the world security.”
The Deputy Secretary didn’t give exact information on specific measures but suggested that the U.S. could work with its allies to levy punishments.
This came after Russia and China in May vetoed a U.N. council resolution drafted by the Biden Administration to impose sanctions on Kim Jong-Un-led North Korea after it fired three ballistic missiles last month.
The report pointed out that the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency said it has observed indications that Kim Jong-Un “may be preparing for a nuclear test.”
Rafael Grossi, Director General of IAEA, said at a meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors that such a test “would be a cause for serious concern.”
Why It Matters: Over the weekend, North Korea fired eight short-range ballistic missiles. So far, the secretive country has fired 18 rounds of missile tests in 2022 alone.
See Also: South Korea, US Fire 8 Ballistic Missiles In Response To Kim Jong-Un's Weapons Test
