We will respond to North Korea ‘threat’

North Korea represents a threat not just to Asia but to the US, US President Barack Obama said yesterday, as he and South Korea’s president Park Geun-hye warned they would respond firmly to any “provocations”.

In March, the North warned it would not rule out a “new form” of atomic test to boost its nuclear deterrent after the UN Security Council condemned Pyongyang’s launch of a mid-range ballistic missile into the sea east of the Korean peninsula.

Recent satellite data shows continued work at the nuclear test site in North Korea, although experts analysing the data say that preparations do not appear to have progressed far enough for an imminent test.