North Korea all set for another nuke test: Why the world should be worried

Pyongyang's meticulous preparation and obsession with nukes could pave the path for incredible destruction. North Korea might conduct a nuclear test during US Vice President Kamala Harris' upcoming trip to South Korea and Japan as Pyongyang has given signals of such a possibility, Yonhap News Agency reported citing a senior administration official.

"It is possible and we previously said that the DPRK is preparing to conduct a nuclear test," the official claimed on Friday when asked about the possibility of a North Korean nuclear test during Harris' trip next week. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

The official asserted that Pyongyang has been said to be preparing for a nuclear test for some time. "We have made clear that such a test would result in additional actions by the US to demonstrate our ironclad commitment to the security of the Republic of Korea and to our Japanese allies," said the official.


Harris is scheduled to make a four-day visit to Japan from September 26, leading a presidential delegation to the funeral of late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Meanwhile, South Korea's military has detected signs that North Korea may be preparing to test a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), Yonhap news agency reported on Saturday.

According to the report, the military detected preparations this week in Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea, citing an unnamed South Korean military source. a U.S.-based think tank's also confirmed the same earlier this week, citing commercial satellite imagery.

What are North Korea's current nuclear capabilities?
After long preparation and opting for rogue methods to fulfil its nuclear dream, Pyongyang conducted a major nuclear test back in 2017 and the explosion at its Punggye-ri test site had a force, or "yield", of between 100-370 kilotons, as reported by BBC.

To understand the impact, we should remember that a 100 kiloton bomb is six times more powerful than the one that was dropped by the US on Hiroshima in 1945 and brought an instant end to the Second World War. North Korea further claims that it also has all types of modern atomic weapons.

Amid the current state-of-affairs, when the Russia-Ukraine conflict has brought the risk of real nuclear war to the forefront, things look more bleak-considering the fact that North Korea's despotic regime could use them on a whim and that could trigger a chain reaction-putting entire humanity at risk.