Steps Taken Toward a Nuclear North Korea
The South Korean Ministry of National Defense issued a statement saying that it is preparing "for the worst case scenario" after North Korea tested its most powerful nuclear weapon yet last week—its fifth successful nuclear test, and second this year—and fired three ballistic missiles that flew over 600 miles and crashed into the Sea of Japan today as world leaders met at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Vientiane, Laos.
The missile tests swiftly earned the unanimous condemnation of the UN Security Council, including China. According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the missiles tested were likely ER Scud, which have the ability to reach a US naval base in Japan. It has long been a goal of the North Korean nuclear program to achieve "survivable nuclear capability," or the ability to quickly launch missiles from submarines and launchpads to thwart any pre-emptive attack.
The language of North Korea's statement regarding the tests suggests it is approaching that capability, saying that it had "standardized" nuclear warheads. As of last month, according to the Arms Control Association, a nonpartisan organization started by former defense and military officials in the '70s, North Korea's nuclear capabilities still lag far behind those of other nuclear states, with just eight total warheads, compared with the second-lowest amount, Israel's 80.