By early November, North Korea had fired more than 20 missiles, one of which fell near South Korean territorial waters.
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The United States, Japan and South Korea promised Sunday, November 13 a response “strong and firm” in the event of a North Korean nuclear test, the first since 2017, a hypothesis that has returned to the news after a record series of weapons tests by Pyongyang. Leaders of the three countries issued a joint statement following their trilateral meeting in Phnom Penh, with US President Joe Biden pledging to deploy “the full range of capabilities, even nuclear” to defend his allies.
Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Phnom Penh, “reaffirm that a nuclear test by North Korea will be followed by a strong and firm response from the international community.”
President Biden met with Japanese and South Korean leaders on the eve of a crucial meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he is expected to ask to exert his influence on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in order to rein him in. The three countries “will work together to strengthen their deterrent force”is it written.
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“President Biden reaffirmed that the United States’ commitment to defending Japan and the Republic of Korea (South Korea’s official name, editor’s note) is unwavering and supported by a wide range of capabilities, including nuclear”, according to the press release. The rapprochement between the three countries, “at an unprecedented level”comes after North Korea carried out a flurry of launches in early November, including that of a ballistic missile that fell near South Korea’s territorial waters.