MOSCOW, May 7 (RIA Novosti) – North Korea may be preparing a fourth nuclear test, which could deepen the conflict between the two Koreas and drastically change the state of international relations among the world’s nuclear powers, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
The new test may involve a plutonium-based device never used by the regime before, which, according to South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, could be a "game-changer."
According to the Arms Control Association, North Korea is estimated to have enough plutonium for approximately up to eight bombs.
"If North Korea carries out a fresh nuclear test or fires mid-range missiles, the international community should slap strong sanctions on Pyongyang," Byung-se told EU Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton during a visit to the UN, according to the Korea Times.
While in New York, Byung-se took part in talks on North Korea with representatives from the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan.
Some UN and US sanctions on North Korea are already in place but have had little impact on the centralized economy of the closed country.
Pyongyang withdrew from the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in April 2003, and then held nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, as well as multiple missile launches.
According to the UN Security Council resolutions from 2006 and 2009, North Korea must refrain from nuclear testing.
The fourth test aims at miniaturizing the nuclear device to fit on a rocket, which would be able to reach the United States, which North Korea regards as its main enemy.
The test could be the final straw in relations with the US, as well as Japan and South Korea. In that case, North Korea’s only ally, China, will be cornered, and its leaders may be more likely to support sanctions.
