Seoul sees no preparation for N.K. nuke test

The South Korean government has found no evidence that North Korea is preparing for a nuclear blast test, saying it has neither detected signs, nor received such information from U.S. intelligence authorities, a top government official said yesterday.

Earlier, a senior Foreign Ministry official made clear his opposition to a possible U.S. pre-emptive strike on North Korea in the event of no breakthrough being made in the multilateral talks.

"So far, we have not seen any signs that could point to North Korea`s preparation for imminent explosion tests," the Seoul official told reporters, requesting anonymity.

Speculation about a nuclear test mounted after South Korea`s Defense Ministry reported last week that Korean and U.S. intelligence have been tracking North Korea`s construction of underground tunnels in a northeastern region of Gilju County.

Days later, the New York Times reported that U.S. satellites detected construction of some platforms and tunnels, possible pointers to a preparation for an underground nuclear test.

The official said that Korea and U.S. intelligence authorities have been watching Gilju since a few years ago, where there has been construction of villas, tunnels and movement of trucks.

But he said such information should not be taken as evidence that the reclusive state is ready to conduct a test.

"What do some platforms have to do with attempts to stage an underground blast test? Actually, we have not received any satellite photos from the U.S. government," he said.

The news briefing, which according to him was held to contain security concerns among the public, came as media reports said that the United States has been drafting a plan to launch a strike against North Korea, which is believed to have up to six atomic bombs.

A senior South Korean Foreign Ministry official said yesterday the United States should not conduct a pre-emptive strike on North Korea without a consensus between Seoul and Washington.

"(Striking North Korea) is inconceivable without the consent of both presidents of South Korea and the United States," Chun Young-woo, deputy minister for Policy Planning and International Organization, said in a telephone interview.

"As I heard there was a military option (by Washington) on the table in 1994, that could not have been possible without our government`s consent," he added.

The pre-emptive strike is one of Washington`s many considerations along with referral to the U.N. Security Council for sanctions, if it sees no early resolution of the standoff through the six-party talks.

The White House warned last week that any nuclear weapons test by North Korea would be a "provocative act." The Pentagon recently deployed B-2 stealth bombers and F15E fighter jets in Guam as an apparent "significant deterrent capability" to thwart the communist state`s nuclear ambitions.

The Seoul government opposes Washington taking the North Korean nuclear standoff to the U.N. Security Council or restricting economic aid to the communist state.

Chun toned down news reports of U.S. pre-emptive strikes, saying it is natural for the military to draft plans for all potential situations and it would be improper to regard it is as official government policy.

"In principle, the military prepares itself for every scenario, and that`s the military`s generic responsibility. But whether to execute the plans or not entirely lies in the decisions of the civilian commander-in-chief," he said.

But he said he does not know whether there are any existing pre-emptive strike plans or not, and whether Pyongyang will conduct a test.

"We are monitoring every possibility at present. But the bottom line is North Korea wants other nations to believe that it has nuclear powers and it is too early to view some moves by the North as signs of an imminent nuclear test," he said.

(smjoo@heraldm.com)



By Joo Sang-min