U.S. to 'keep pressure' on North, respond 'quickly' to a possible nuclear test

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said the United States will continue to keep pressure on North Korea until it changes course, after Washington this month warned that Pyongyang is preparing to conduct a seventh nuclear test.

"Our goal, simply put, is a peaceful and stable region and world. Until the regime in Pyongyang changes course, we will continue to keep the pressure on," Blinken told reporters following a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin in Washington.

Park said any provocations by North Korea, including a nuclear test, will be met with a united and firm response.

The top US diplomat continued to warn Pyongyang against conducting what would be the seventh nuclear test in its history, saying the US remains "extremely vigilant," and has prepared its response in coordination with its allies and partners, principally those in South Korea and Japan.

"I can say simply for today that we're preparing for all contingencies, again in very close coordination with others, notably with the ROK and with Japan, and we are prepared to make both short and longer term adjustments to our military posture as appropriate," he said, referring to South Korea.

"A nuclear test would be dangerous. It would be deeply destabilizing to the region. It would blatantly violate international law set out in multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions," he added.

Park echoed Blinken, saying "any North Korean provocations, including a nuclear test, will be met with a united and firm response from our alliance and the international community."

"We expressed a special concern over North Korea's increasingly aggressive rhetoric regarding the use of tactical nuclear weapons," he added.

The US, South Korea and Japan announced on June 8 plans to bolster security ties, and agreed to jointly counter threats from North Korea if Pyongyang carries out another nuclear test.

China and Russia vetoed on May 27 new UN Security Council sanctions that would have been imposed on the North in retaliation for its continued ballistic missile tests, which it conducts in violation of previous council resolutions.