South Korea checks readiness for nuclear war

South Korea’s military was checking its readiness for nuclear war in the wake of North Korea’s claimed atomic test, Yonhap news agency reported today.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff reported to Defence Minister Yoon Kwang-ung the need for verifying and improving troops’ capabilities, Yonhap said, citing unnamed military officials.

The suggestion was made twice – first on October 3 when North Korea said it would test a nuclear bomb, and then right after the communist state claimed to do so on Monday, Yonhap said.

The Joint Chiefs also raised the need for introducing state-of-the-art weapons capable of destroying the means of delivering nuclear weapons, the report said.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper also reported that an unnamed government official said Yoon instructed the military last week to start improving the country’s operational plans and other military strategies after the North threatened the test.

Both the ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff declined to confirm the report. The reported move could be expected in line with standard military practice across the world, where officers always prepare for the worst-case scenario.

However, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a report submitted to politicians yesterday that the military introduced a regular training programme last year after North Korea declared it had nuclear weapons to prepare for a nuclear conflict.

The programme includes active defence drills, such as monitoring and disabling nuclear facilities and weapons in North Korea, as well as passive drills aimed at ensuring the “survival” of its troops, according to a copy of the report provided by Rep. Song Young-sun, a member of the parliamentary defence committee.

North Korea declared for the first time on Monday that it had successfully tested an atomic bomb.

The two Koreas are still technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty. The inter-Korean border is the world’s most heavily fortified.

Even if the North is confirmed to have a functioning atomic bomb, most experts don’t believe it has a design small and light enough to place on a missile. Their long-range missile capability also remains in question, after a test rocket in July apparently fizzled shortly after take-off.