North Korea might carry out a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile or hold another nuclear test around the time of the U.S. presidential election, South Korea's Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said on Wednesday.
"There is a high chance that they would want to exaggerate their existence around the season of the U.S. presidential election before and after the election," Kim told reporters at the Pentagon following talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The expected courses of action "could be either their launch of an ICBM or their seventh nuclear test," Kim said.
North Korea is likely to seek tactical nuclear weapons and ICBM technology from Russia in exchange for its deployment to aid Moscow's war with Ukraine, South Korea's Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said on Wednesday, calling it a dangerous escalation.
"There is a high chance that they would, in exchange for their deployment, North Korea is very likely to ask for technology transfers in diverse areas," Kim said, listing tactical nuclear weaponry, intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine technology.
Kim and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking together at the Pentagon, both called for North Korea to withdraw its troops.
