North Korea is ready to conduct its seventh nuclear test if leader Kim Jong Un gives the green light, South Korea’s Defense Intelligence Agency was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Newsweek has contacted the North Korean Embassy in China for comment.

Why It Matters

North Korea has pushed ahead with its development of nuclear weapons and the missiles with which to strike its perceived enemies, including the United States, despite sanctions and efforts over the years to engage it in negotiations in exchange for sanctions relief.

The Kim regime is estimated to possess about 50 warheads. A nuclear test would presumably enable North Korea to make technological advances, but it would also alarm its neighbors, including old ally China, and could be a setback for tentative efforts by U.S. Presi

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