US, Japan and S. Korea warn Pyongyang against nuclear test
The United States, Japan and South Korea vowed a "strong and resolute response" if Pyongyang carried out a nuclear test.
A record-breaking recent spate of missile tests by North Korea has sent fears soaring that such a test -- its seventh -- may happen soon.
US President Joe Biden held talks on the crisis with allies Japan and South Korea in Phnom Penh, on the eve of a crunch meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, whom he will press to rein in North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol issued a joint statement condemning the recent barrage, which included an intercontinental ballistic missile.
"They reaffirm that a DPRK nuclear test would be met with a strong and resolute response from the international community," the statement said, using an abbreviation for North Korea's official name.
The trio met on the sidelines of an East Asian summit in the Cambodian capital.
"President Biden reiterated that the US commitment to defend Japan and the ROK is ironclad and backed by the full range of capabilities, including nuclear," the statement added, using an abbreviation for South Korea's official name.
Pyongyang ramped up missile launches in response to large-scale US-South Korean air exercises, which it described as "aggressive and provocative".
Seoul and Washington have been warning for months that Pyongyang is ready to conduct another nuclear test at any time.
