N. Korea close to nuke test

North Korea Tuesday announced its plan to conduct a nuclear test to bolster its deterrent against U.S.-led moves to "isolate and stifle" the communist regime, referring to financial sanctions.

But the statement issued by Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry said North Korea would not use nuclear weapons first and would not allow the transfer of nuclear materials. North Korea "will in the future conduct a nuclear test under the condition where safety is firmly guaranteed," said the statement carried by the North's major state-run media. The statement gave no precise date of when a nuclear test would occur.

According to the statement, the nuclear test is aimed at "bolstering the war deterrent for self-defense" in the face of growing threats from the United States.

"The U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel the DPRK (North Korea) to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering nuclear deterrent, as a corresponding measure for defense," it said.

The North has "already declared that it would take all necessary countermeasures to defend the sovereignty of the country and the dignity of the nation from the Bush administration's vicious hostile actions," the statement said.

Announced plans

This is the first time the North has announced plans to conduct a nuclear test. The North declared its possession of nuclear weapons in February 2005, but the claim has not been independently verified. The country has yet to conduct any known tests.

"The DPRK officially announced that it manufactured up-to-date nuclear weapons after going through transparent (and) legitimate processes to cope with the U.S. escalated threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure," the statement said. "The already declared possession of nuclear weapons presupposes the nuclear test.

"Nuclear weapons will serve as reliable war deterrent for protecting the supreme interests of the state and the security of the (North) Korean nation from the U.S. threat of aggression and averting a new war and firmly safeguarding peace and stability on the Korean peninsula under any circumstances," the statement continued.

Nuclear disarmament

But the Foreign Ministry statement said the North "would never use nuclear weapons first, but strictly prohibit any threat of nuclear weapons and nuclear transfer."

The North also promised to "do its utmost to realize the denuclearization of the peninsula and give impetus to the worldwide nuclear disarmament and the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons."

"The North's announcement of its nuclear test plan reflects its intension to grab Washington's immediate attention and direct talks with it over the nuclear issue," said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea specialist at Dongguk University.

But officials and analysts could not rule out the possibility of real action by the North, which could bring the peninsula into a deeper security crisis.

According to Seoul's Munhwa Ilbo daily last week, North Korea was building as many as five tunnels that could be used for an underground nuclear test.

"These tunnels can very well be a new missile base, but it is also possible that it could be one of the nuclear test facilities," a South Korean official was quoted as saying.

Geological pulse

Nam Sung-wook, a Korea University professor, one of the few analysts in Seoul who predicted Pyongyang's missile launches in July, has warned that the North could cross a red line by testing its nuclear weapons.

South Korea's earthquake center has stepped up vigilance for the North's nuclear test, monitoring the North's geological pulse with seismic sensors and sound detectors, officials said. The Seoul government will convene an emergency meeting of Cabinet ministers early Wednesday to discuss the North's nuclear threats.

The North's statement has embarrassed Seoul officials, who have come up with "comprehensive" proposals to resolve the years-long nuclear standoff, calling for Washington's patience.

The United States has warned that the North would not be able to avoid stronger punitive measures if it went ahead with a nuclear test. The United States and other countries have already imposed financial sanctions on the North for its missile tests in July, which are believed to have choked Pyongyang's cash flow.

Some hard-liners in Washington and Japan have called for a pre-emptive attack on the North's nuclear sites in the case of an imminent threat.

(UPI)