Seoul - South Korea said on Tuesday an
agreement with the United States to scrap a weight limit on its
warheads would help it respond to North Korea's nuclear and
missile threat after it conducted its sixth and largest nuclear
test two days ago.
South Korean officials believe more weapons tests by the
reclusive state are possible, despite international outrage over
Sunday's nuclear test and calls for more sanctions against it.
South Korea's Asia Business Daily, citing an unidentified
source, reported that North Korea had been observed moving a
rocket that appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile
(ICBM) towards its west coast.
The rocket started moving on Monday and was spotted moving
only at night to avoid surveillance, the newspaper said.
South Korea's defence ministry, which warned on Monday that
North Korea was ready to launch an ICBM at any time, said it was
not able to confirm the report.
Analysts and South Korean policymakers believe North Korea
may test another weapon on or around September 9, when it celebrates
its founding day.
North Korea’s fifth nuclear test fell on that date last
year, reflecting its tendency to conduct weapons tests on
significant dates.
North Korea says it needs to develop its weapons to defend
itself against what it sees as U.S. aggression.
South Korea, after weeks of rising tension, is talking to
the United States about deploying aircraft carriers and
strategic bombers to the Korean peninsula, and has been ramping
up its own defences.
U.S. President Donald Trump and his South Korean
counterpart, Moon Jae-in, agreed on Monday to scrap a warhead
weight limit on South Korea's missiles, South Korea's
presidential office said, enabling it to strike North Korea with
greater force in the event of war.
The White House said Trump gave "in-principle approval" to
the move.
The United States and South Korea signed a pact in 1979, a
year after the South successfully tested a ballistic missile,
with Washington expressing the need for limits on ballistic
missile capability over concern that tests could undermine
regional security.
South Korea and the United States are technically still at
war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended
with a truce, not a peace treaty.
Both sides have thousands of rockets and artillery pieces
aimed at each other across the world's most heavily armed
border, but the North's rapid development of nuclear weapons and
missiles has altered the balance, requiring a stronger response
from South Korea, officials say.
"We believe the unlimited warhead payload will be useful in
responding to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," South
Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told a
briefing.
Under current guidelines, last changed in 2012, South Korea
can develop missiles up to a range of 800 km (500 miles) with a
maximum payload of 500 kg (1 102 lb).
Most of North Korea's missiles are designed to carry
payloads of 100-1 000 kg (220-2 205 lb), according to Nuclear
Threat Initiative (NTI), a U.S.-based think thank.
South Korea's navy held more exercises on Tuesday, a naval
officer told a defence ministry briefing. .
"Today's training is being held to prepare for maritime
North Korean provocations, inspect our navy's readiness and to
reaffirm our will to punish the enemy," the official said.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on
Monday North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was "begging for war" and
urged the 15-member Security Council to impose the "strongest
possible" sanctions to deter him and shut down his trading
partners.
Haley said the United States would circulate a new Security
Council resolution on North Korea this week and wanted a vote on
it on Monday.
Trump has repeatedly warned that "all options were on the
table" regarding North Korea, including military options.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said threats of military
action were counterproductive.
"Russia condemns North Korea's exercises, we consider that
they are a provocation," Putin told reporters after a summit of
the BRICS countries in China.
"(But) ramping up military hysteria will lead to nothing
good. It could lead to a global catastrophe.
While referring to more sanctions as a "road to nowhere",
Putin said Russia was prepared to discuss "some details" around
the issue. He did not elaborate.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said she
believed her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, was open to more
sanctions.
"I cannot tell you exact details as the minister asked me
not to disclose the content of our discussion, but I could sense
that China could be open to more sanctions," Kang told lawmakers
in parliament, referring to a phone call with Wang on Monday.
China's foreign ministry said it would take part in security
council discussions in "a responsible and constructive manner".
Diplomats have said the Security Council could consider
banning North Korean textile exports, banish its national
airline and stopping supplies of oil to the government and
military.
Other measures could include preventing North Koreans from
working abroad and adding top officials to a blacklist aiming at
imposing asset freezes and travel bans.
Sanctions imposed after missile tests in July were aimed at
slashing North Korea's $3 billion annual export revenue by a
third by banning exports of coal, iron, lead and seafood.
China accounted for 92 percent of North Korea's trade in
2016, according to South Korea’s government trade promotion
agency.