China Daily editorial: What next after nuclear test?
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea tested its sixth, and most powerful, thermonuclear device on Sunday despite all the warnings, sanctions and vows of "extreme pressures" to the contrary. Whether or not it was a hydrogen bomb with the destructive potential Pyongyang claims, the latest nuclear test indicates it has taken a big step in its pursuit of nuclear prowess. The latest development, along with its previous claims of making progress in nuclear warhead miniaturization and mid- and long-range ballistic missile technologies, if true, may indeed give Pyongyang the means to carry out its threats of launching doomsday attacks on enemy targets. For too long, stakeholding countries' rhetoric on their commitment to denuclearization has been offset by mutual distrust and finger-pointing among themselves, leaving ample space for the DPRK to continue its dangerous nuclear and missile programs. It's high time, therefore, that the DPRK realized the devastating consequences of using that space to further its missile/nuclear programs and the stakeholders considered Pyongyang's genuine needs, especially food and national security, because whatever nonpublic concerns they may have, all the stakeholders share one genuine, and growing, concern: the threat those programs pose to them, the region and beyond.
DPRK Successfully Tests ICBM Hwasongpho-19, Demonstrating Strategic Deterrence
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