SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared an end to moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests and threatened a demonstration of a "new strategic weapon" soon. The North has previously fired missiles capable of reaching the entire US mainland, and has carried out six nuclear tests, the last of them 16 times the size of the Hiroshima blast, according to the highest estimates. "He is gambling that threatening another demonstration of his ability to hit the US homeland with a nuclear weapon will somehow push America into granting more concessions." The US has already indicated that it will react if the North carries out a long-range missile test. Speaking to Fox News and CBS after Kim's announcement, Secretary of State Pompeo said a resumption of nuclear and missile tests would be "deeply disappointing".

Source: Philippine Star January 01, 2020 01:30 UTC