Kim Jong Un May Not Conduct Nuclear Test Soon, Says Top US Defense Official: 'He Will Uncork That At A Time And Place Of His Choosing'

A top U.S. official said it doesn't look like Kim Jong Un intends to conduct a nuclear test as Washington carries out its biggest military drill with South Korea.

What Happened: The director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said on Wednesday that Washington is staying vigilant, although it doesn't expect North Korea to carry out a nuclear test anytime soon, reported Reuters.

The U.S. and South Korea have repeatedly warned for nearly a year that Pyongyang has completed its preparation and may resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017. 

“I have been waiting for that as well,” Lieutenant General Scott Berrier told media at DIA headquarters. 

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“There are a bunch of different factors that play into (Kim’s) decision calculus on that. And there are a bunch of things that we watch in terms of indications and warnings. Those two haven’t aligned.”

According to Berrier, if Kim wanted, he could have opted to time a nuclear test to coincide with the ongoing U.S. and South Korean military drills that North Korea has sharply criticized. “It doesn’t look like he’s going to do that,” Berrier said.

“But he will uncork that at a time and place of his choosing, which is something we’ll be watching for very, very carefully.”

Meanwhile, China and Russia defended Kim’s missile launches at a Monday United Nations Security Council meeting and blamed the U.S. and South Korea for provoking Pyongyang.

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