S. Korea warns North may conduct nuclear test close to US election

Seoul to sign pact with Tokyo, Washington to track missiles fired by Pyongyang

North Korea may be considering a nuclear test near the time the US presidential election is held to raise its profile, South Korea's defence minister said, as the North's leader Kim Jong Un rolls out new warheads capable of striking the US and its allies in Asia.

Seoul will reach a deal with Japan and the US to standardise the tracking of missiles fired from North Korea, Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said in an interview on July 28 in Tokyo.

He was visiting the Japanese capital to sign a deal with the US and Japan to lock in gains in security cooperation that have included joint military training.

"North Korea has completed preparations to conduct a nuclear test when a decision is made," Mr Shin said. "We cannot rule out the possibility of that decisive moment being right before or after the US presidential election to raise its leverage against the US."

The US election will take place in early November.

Pyongyang has a habit of timing its provocations to coincide with major political events. While Mr Kim had held three in-person summits with Donald Trump when the latter was president, North Korean state media has rebuffed comments made by Trump on his connection with Mr Kim. The regime has also had harsh words for the Biden administration and ignored its calls to return to long-stalled denuclearisation talks.