U.S. President George W. Bush, speaking from the Camp David presidential retreat, has stated that if North Korea was to conduct a nuclear test it would be confirmation that the Stalinist republic poses a serious threat to the rest of the world.
In a comment that appeared to be aimed at the likes of China and Russia, he went on to voice his expectation that "those sitting around the table with us [would] act in such a manner as to help rid the world of the threat", reported The Mail and Guardian.
President Bush's remarks came in the wake of spy satellite imagery of above ground activity consistent with preparations for conducting a nuclear test at a suspected North Korean underground facility.
Large rolls of cable that would be used to wire equipment so that any test could be monitored from a distance have been brought to the site. In addition, there has been an unusual amount of "truck activity" presumably bringing in large quantities of new equipment.
Pyongyang is thought to possess enough nuclear material to fuel at least a dozen warheads and it is considered by analysts to be only a matter of time before a nuclear test takes place.
Many fear that once North Korea has perfected a nuclear device it would soon become available for purchase on the black market by any terrorist group with the necessary funds.
Back in July 2003 former US defence secretary William Perry stated in an interview that North Korea would soon have enough warheads to begin "…exporting them to terrorists and other U.S. adversaries".
Following Mr. Bush's statement, South Korean Government ministers were non-committal and declined to comment directly on the report for reasons of protocol. However, Unification Minister Lee Jong-seek did confirm: "We are closely monitoring North Korea's activities," but denied that there was any "clear evidence that North Korea is pursuing a nuclear test".
North Korea announced last year that it had at least one nuclear bomb. In July, North Korea test-fired seven missiles, including a long-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, into the East Sea between South Korea and Japan, sparking international outrage.
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