North Korea ‘ready’ to test a nuclear weapon, claims South Korean PM Han Duck-soo
North Korea is “ready” to test a nuclear weapon and will likely do so, the prime minister of South Korea has said.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Han Duck-soo said that although it is “hard to know exactly when” a test would happen, “we gather that they are prepared”.
His comments come at a time when tensions on the Korean Peninsula are as high as they’ve been for several years.
In a wide-ranging interview, Prime Minister Han also said China’s recent relaxation of its strict zero COVID rules “should have come sooner” and said he’d like to see its powerful neighbour become “more rules-based”.
Prime Minister Han’s statements about North Korea come in the closing weeks of a year that has seen the isolated state fire more missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, than at any other time since leader Kim Jong Un came to power in 2011.
Last month, one missile landed in the sea to the south of the ‘Northern Limit Line’, which is the unofficial maritime border between the two countries, and closer to the South Korean coast than ever before. Another flew over Japan.
If a nuclear test is undertaken, it will be the first since 2017 and will be a major escalation at an already very tense time.
“We always have preparations for that kind of very undesirable action,” said Prime Minster Han.
“We cannot say at this moment what kind of response will be made.
“But clearly we would like to have some kind of extended deterrence capabilities, including all kind of options.”
North Korea has implied it is responding, in part, to large-scale joint military drills held last month between South Korea and the United States, action it sees as threatening and provocative.
South Korea has a relatively new president and a relatively new government. Yoon Suk-yeol was elected in March and promised a more hawkish approach to North Korea.
His government has been accused of squandering some progress made by the previous administration, where dialogue between the two countries had increased.
‘We will secure peace on our terms’
This is a criticism wholly rejected by Prime Minister Han: “You may call our strengthening our deterrence capabilities the ‘harder line,’ but that’s a natural course for any country increasing the level of self-reliance in terms of security.
“We will secure our peace on our terms, not on terms dictated by North Korea.”
He also added intel on recent images of Kim Jong Un appearing alongside his daughter.
She accompanied him to recent missile launches and has never been seen in public before. She is believed to be aged nine or ten and some have speculated she may be being groomed for the leadership.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said South Korea is prepared for ‘undesirable action’
“The launching of an intercontinental missile will be, without any doubt, a big thing for North Korea,” said Prime Minister Han.
“If he would like to show something, then that would be a very opportune time.
“Possibly the appearance of his daughter, for him, he would like to deliver some message.”
On the campaign trail, Yoon Suk-yeol also implied strongly he would take a harder line on China and be more overt about South Korea’s alliance with the United States.
As a nation, it has had to walk a tight rope between the two superpowers – China is by far its biggest trading partner and both have important roles to play in the North Korean issue.
While keen to emphasise South Korea’s warm relationship with China, Prime Minister Han spoke in direct terms about the “very big impact” China’s zero COVID policy has had on South Korea and its economy, saying “it should have ended sooner”.
He also made clear South Korea agrees with its American ally when it comes to some issues regarding China.
“South Korea and China are a very, very intimate countries, and we will continue to do that,” he said.
“But Korea, with the international community, would like to see China be more rule-based and a more universal value respecting country.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile
He was also clearer than the previous government about actively stepping up tri-lateral cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea. This is notable because it has previously been considered a ‘red line’ for China.
“Tri-lateral cooperation to guarantee the security and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula will be very definitely a necessity for us,” he said.
Domestically, Prime Minister Han noted that Korea, like many countries, has pressing economic challenges ahead, not least inflation, a weak currency and high housing costs.
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But this is a nation that plays an increasingly important role on the world stage and is aware of its position.
It recently bidded to host the 2030 World Expo in the southern city of Busan – with Mr Han wanting to showcase South Korea’s “structure of cooperation with other countries”.
But more action from North Korea is the eventuality that will most likely thrust it into the limelight.
Although South Korea insists it is committed to “dialogue”, the chance of a major de-escalation feels increasingly faint.
A report into the deadly Lisbon Gloria funicular crash has said the cable linking the two carriages snapped.
The carriages of the city’s iconic Gloria funicular had travelled no more than six metres when they “suddenly lost the balancing force of the connecting cable”.
The vehicle’s brake‑guard immediately “activated the pneumatic brake as well as the manual brake”, the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft Accidents and Railway Accidents said.
Flowers for the victims in Lisbon. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
But the measures “had no effect in reducing the vehicle’s speed”, as it accelerated and crashed at around 60kmh (37mph), and the disaster unfolded in less than 50 seconds.
Questions have been asked about the maintenance of the equipment, but the report said that, based on the evidence seen so far, it was up to date.
A scheduled visual inspection had been carried out on the morning of the accident, but the area where the cable broke “is not visible without dismantling.”
The Gloria funicular is a national monument that dates from 1914 and is very popular with tourists visiting the Portuguese capital.
The Gloria funicular connects Lisbon’s Restauradores Square to the Bairro Alto viewpoint
It operates between Restauradores Square in downtown Lisbon and the Bairro Alto neighbourhood.
The journey is just 276m (905ft) and takes just over a minute, but it operates up a steep hill, with two carriages travelling in opposite directions.
How the disaster unfolded
At around 6pm on Wednesday, Cabin No.2, at the bottom of the funicular, “jerked backward sharply”, the report said.
“After moving roughly 10 metres, its movement stopped as it partially left the tracks and its trolley became buried at the lower end of the cable channel.”
Cabin No.1, at the top, “continued descending and accelerated” before derailing and smashing “sideways into the wall of a building on the left side, destroying the wooden box [from which the carriage is constructed]”.
It crashed into a cast‑iron streetlamp and a support pole, causing “significant damage” before hitting “the corner of another building”.
Cable failed at top
Analysis of the wreckage showed the cable connecting the cabins failed where it was attached inside the upper trolley of cabin No.1 at the top.
The cable’s specified useful life is 600 days and at the time of the accident, it had been used for 337 days, leaving another 263 days before needing to be replaced.
The operating company regards this life expectancy as having “a significant safety margin”.
The exact number of people aboard each cabin when it crashed has not been confirmed.
Britons killed in disaster
Kayleigh Smith, 36, and William Nelson, 44, died alongside 14 others in Wednesday’s incident, including another British victim who has not yet been named.
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Five Portuguese citizens died when the packed carriage plummeted out of control – four of them workers at a charity on the hill – but most victims were foreigners.
Any remaining residents in Gaza’s largest city should leave for a designated area in the south, Israel’s military has warned.
Israeli forces are carrying out an offensive on suburbs of Gaza City, in the territory’s north, as part of plans to capture it – raising concern over an already-devastating humanitarian crisis.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced pressure to stop the attack and allow more aid in, the military has announced a new humanitarian zone in the south.
Spokesperson Avichay Adraee said Gaza City residents should head to a designated coastal area of Khan Younis.
There, he said they would be able to receive food, medical care and shelter.
On Thursday, Israel said it has control of around 40% of Gaza City and 75% of the entire territory of Gaza.
Many of the city’s residents had already been displaced earlier in the war, only to return later. Some of them have said they will refuse to move again.
That’s despite the military claiming it is within a few kilometres of the city centre, coming after weeks of heavy strikes.
But the war in Gaza has left Israel increasingly isolated in the diplomatic sphere, with some of its closest allies condemning the campaign that’s devastated the territory.
Just two weeks ago, a famine was declared in Gaza City and surrounding areas by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a globally recognised system for classifying the severity of food insecurity.
A resident runs with his belongings in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters
There is also concern within Israel, where calls have grown to stop the war and secure the release of the remaining 48 hostages.
Israel believes 20 of those hostages are still alive.
Even as relatives of those hostages lead protests, Mr Netanyahu continues to push for an all-or-nothing deal to release all hostages and defeat Hamas.
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On Friday, Donald Trump said Washington is in “very deep” negotiations with Hamas to release the captives.
“We said let them all out, right now let them all out. And much better things will happen for them but if you don’t let them all out, it’s going to be a tough situation, it’s going to be nasty,” he added.
Hamas is “asking for some things that are fine”, he said, without elaborating.
A man was heard screaming in the water moments before he died after a shark attack in Sydney, witnesses have said.
Emergency services responded to reports that a man in his 50s had suffered critical injuries at Long Reef Beach shortly after 10am (1am in the UK) on Saturday.
The man, whose identity has yet to be confirmed, was brought to shore but died at the scene, authorities have said.
Two sections of a surfboard have been recovered and taken for examination, and beaches near the area are closed as drones search for the animal.
Police are liaising with wildlife experts to determine the species of shark involved.
Pic: Sky News Australia
Surfer screamed ‘don’t bite me’
Speaking to Sky News Australia, witness Mark Morgenthal said he saw the attack and that the shark was one of the biggest he had ever seen.
“There was a guy screaming, ‘I don’t want to get bitten, I don’t want to get bitten, don’t bite me,’ and I saw the dorsal fin of the shark come up, and it was huge,” Mr Morgenthal said.
“Then I saw the tail fin come up and start kicking, and the distance between the dorsal fin and the tail fin looked to be about four metres, so it actually looked like a six-metre shark.”
Mark Morgenthal said it ‘looked like a six metre shark’ in the attack. Pic: Sky News Australia
Victim was a father and experienced surfer
New South Wales Police Superintendent John Duncan said at a press conference that the victim was 57 years old, calling the incident a “terrible tragedy”.
“The gentleman had gone out about 9.30 this morning with some of his friends, about five or six of his mates,” he added. “He’s an experienced surfer that we understand.
“Unfortunately, it would appear that a large, what we believe to be a shark, has attacked him. And as a result of that, he lost a number of limbs.
“His colleagues managed to make it back to the beach safely, and a short time later, his body was found floating in the surf, and a couple of other people went out and recovered it.”
Mr Duncan added that officers “understand he leaves behind a wife and a young daughter… and obviously tomorrow being Father’s Day is particularly critical and particularly tragic”.
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Local surfer and eyewitness Bill Sakula also told reporters at the beach: “It’s going to send shockwaves through the community.
“Everyone is going to be a little bit nervous for a while.”
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Surf Life Saving NSW has deployed a drone to search for further shark activity.
Its chief executive Steve Pearce said: “Our deepest condolences go to the family of the man involved in this terrible tragedy.”
Shark attacks are very rare, with this incident widely thought to be the first in New South Wales this year.
The last time a person in Sydney was killed in a shark attack was in February 2022 – the city’s first fatal shark attack since 1963.
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