DefenceTalkNorth Korea has trialled a “nuclear detonation device”, a senior South Korean presidential official said Wednesday, adding that a nuclear test could be imminent. US and South Korean officials have warned for weeks that Pyongyang may conduct a seventh nuclear test, and on Wednesday it test-fired three missiles, including possibly its largest intercontinental ballistic missile […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-testing-nuclear-detonation-device-seoul-78826/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea is poised to conduct a nuclear test, Seoul and Washington said Thursday, with the United States warning it could come as President Joe Biden visits South Korea this week. Touted as proof of the US “pivot” to Asia, Biden’s first trip as president to the region looks set to be overshadowed by an […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-ready-for-nuclear-test-with-biden-due-in-seoul-78799/

DefenceTalkAfter firing its largest-ever missile, North Korea is preparing to conduct a nuclear test, officials and analysts say, reviving a longstanding debate south of the border: should Seoul have nukes too? Pyongyang has conducted a blitz of sanctions-busting weapons tests this year, including launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at full range for the first […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-koreas-tests-stir-nuclear-debate-in-south-78685/

DefenceTalkPyongyang is ignoring US overtures for talks and could be planning its first nuclear weapon test in nearly five years for its April 15 holiday, the State Department’s top North Korea envoy said Wednesday. Sung Kim, the Special Representative for North Korea Policy, said Washington thinks Pyongyang could be planning a big show of its […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-nuclear-test-on-coming-anniversary-us-envoy-78638/

DefenceTalkUS President Donald Trump on Monday (Sep 4) told his South Korean counterpart Washington was willing to approve arms sales worth “many billions of dollars” to Seoul following Pyongyang’s test of what it said was a miniaturized hydrogen bomb. President Trump “provided his conceptual approval for the purchase of many billions of dollars’ worth of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-could-sell-south-korea-billions-of-dollars-of-arms-amid-tensions-70420/

DefenceTalkChina strongly condemned North Korea’s Sunday nuclear test, slamming Pyongyang for ignoring international condemnation of its atomic weapons programme. North Korea “has ignored the international community’s widespread opposition, again carrying out a nuclear test. China’s government expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation toward this,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website. “We […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-strongly-condemns-north-korean-nuclear-test-foreign-ministry-70414/

DefenceTalkGeological agencies have detected an earthquake in North Korea that signals it conducted its sixth nuclear test. The presumed test rachets up tensions after North Korea has conducted repeated ballistic missile tests. North Korea is likely to have conducted its sixth nuclear test on Sunday, after geological agencies registered a man-made quake in the northeast […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-fears-of-nuclear-test-as-earthquake-detected-70409/

DefenceTalkThe United States will counter any North Korean attack with an “overwhelming and effective” response, Vice President Mike Pence vowed Wednesday, as he stood on the deck of a massive American aircraft carrier docked in Japan. Donald Trump’s deputy is in the region to reassure allies fretting over Pyongyang’s quickening missile program, and its apparent […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pence-vows-overwhelming-response-to-north-korea-69765/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea’s military forces were massed in Pyongyang on Saturday (Apr 14) for a show of strength by leader Kim Jong-Un as tensions mount over his nuclear ambitions. Hundreds of flatbed trucks packed with soldiers lined the banks of the Taedong river ahead of a parade through the North Korean capital. Ostensibly the event was […]https://www.defencetalk.com/troops-mass-in-pyongyang-show-of-strength-69739/

DefenceTalkPentagon chief Ashton Carter on Thursday again threatened an “overwhelming” response if North Korea uses a nuclear weapon, reflecting heightened tensions after Pyongyang conducted another missile test. Earlier in the day, North Korea had conducted a failed test — its second in a week — of a powerful medium-range missile that experts warn could be […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-warns-of-overwhelming-response-if-north-korea-uses-nukes-68435/