Biden Says Not Concerned About North Korea Holding Nuclear Tests During His Trip To Asia

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd May, 2022) US President Joe Biden said on Sunday that he was not concerned about North Korea carrying out nuclear tests while he is in Asia since Washington is prepared for anything and would respond to anything Pyongyang does.

Biden arrived in South Korea on Friday for his first summit with the country's newly elected president, Yoon Suk-yeol. South Korea became the first stop on Biden's tour to Asia, which includes Japan, and will last till May 24. Biden will attend the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue summit while in Japan, where he will also meet with the leaders of Australia and India.

"We are prepared for anything North Korea does. We have thought through how we would respond to whatever they do, and so I am not concerned," Biden told journalists in Seoul on the last day of his South Korean trip.

Biden's speech was broadcast online on the White House's website.

During the meeting with his South Korean counterpart on Saturday, the president said that the United States would boost its deterrence against North Korean threats and would deploy "strategic assets" to deter Pyongyang should the necessity arise. Seoul and Washington also agreed to consider expanding their combined military drills.

When asked whether the president is considering meeting with North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un, Biden said the following: "With regard to whether I would meet with the leader of North Korea, that would depend on whether he was sincere and whether he was serious."

North Korea has intensified launches of ballistic missiles and other unknown projectiles in 2022. Since the beginning of the year, Pyongyang launched 16 missiles, some of which it said were hypersonic. US intelligence has shown that North Korea may be preparing to carry out a nuclear test.