North Korea may test nuclear weapon on September 9

(Baonghean.vn) - Meanwhile, the US may increase its military strength on the Korean Peninsula, amid rising tensions related to a series of missile launches by Pyongyang in the past week.

Image of the flight trajectory of a North Korean missile. Photo: AP

There is also speculation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's regime may be preparing to conduct a sixth nuclear test.

“It’s always difficult to predict what North Korea will do, but they are talking about the possibility of additional nuclear tests, including hydrogen bomb tests,” said Matthew Bunn, an expert on nuclear enrichment at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Experts say the goal of miniaturizing nuclear warheads to fit on missiles is one reason North Korea wants to continue testing nuclear weapons. It is possible that Pyongyang will conduct a test on Independence Day, September 9.

“The North Korean regime has in the past tried to conduct missile and nuclear tests on days that are historically significant to the country, or to mock the United States, as they did on the Fourth of July or on a South Korean holiday,” said Nicholas Eberstadt, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and a North Korea expert.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with his South Korean counterpart Song Young-moo at the Pentagon on August 30. South Korean media said the two sides will discuss Seoul's proposal to double its ballistic missile firepower to counter the growing threat from nuclear-armed North Korea.

Meanwhile, the Korea Times quoted an unnamed South Korean official as saying that the US is considering sending more military assets to the Korean Peninsula, including stealth fighters, B-1B and B-52 bombers, as well as warships such as destroyers and submarines of the US Navy.

The US Marine Corps currently has different versions of the F-35B stealth fighter in Japan, and eight aircraft have previously arrived in South Korea for exercises. The nearest B-1B bombers are stationed at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

Expert David Wright, senior scientist and co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists in the US, said that the missile that North Korea used in the test on August 29 could be the Hwasong-12, similar to the missile on May 14.

According to him, the missile's range is about 4,800 km, but the North Korean missile only reached about 1,700 km. This proves that Pyongyang used a heavier explosive than the previous test. According to Mr. Wright, another reason the missile flew at a shorter range is because North Korea intentionally limited the range or "maybe due to technical problems".

Researcher Joel Wit from the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University commented: "North Korea does not like large-scale military exercises going on. It would be ridiculous to think that they will stay silent while the exercises are going on." Mr. Wit said that North Korea's missile and even nuclear launches are a way for the country to vent its anger./.

Lan Ha

(According to CNBC)