An apparent nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Friday morning, which is likely amid "a seismic event" with a magnitude of 5.3 near the country's northeastern nuclear test site, is an expected scenario as the US plans to deploy an antimissile battery in the Republic of Korea, according to an expert on Korean Peninsula affairs.
Wang Junsheng, a researcher in Asia-Pacific strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system on ROK soil leaves room for Pyongyang to continue its ill-designed foreign policy.
"The DPRK still stands firm on its strategic misreading, which believes developing nuclear weapons would pressure the United States to respond to its concerns," said Wang. "That explains why it has conducted a slew of missile tests this year, although the THAAD might not necessarily pose a major threat to it."
Once confirmed, it will be Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test and the second this year. The country on Wednesday rejected a UN Security Council statement condemning its latest missile tests and threatened to take "further significant measures".
Today marks the 68th National Day of the DPRK, and a possible fresh nuclear test could be related, Wang said. "But it does not suggest the Peninsula situation is out of control, because there has been a foreseeable trajectory in Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and China will strongly oppose them by all means," he added.
However, China's strategic choices, in the face of a rising nuclear threat in its neighborhood, are limited due to the geopolitical complexity, Wang said. "The denuclearization will take five to ten years to achieve, urging all countries concerned to take more concerted efforts to tide over the ensuing turbulence."
Washington and Seoul, in particular, should sincerely reflect upon their decision to install the THAAD on the peninsula, as well as other strategic mistakes that have prompted Pyongyang to make wrong steps, Wang added.
