Bombs Away

North Korea May Test Third Nuke

Defiant as U.N. contemplates sanctions.

North Korea may be preparing for its third nuclear test in a month, despite a proposed United Nations resolution that could heavily regulate the North’s weapons exports and financial dealings as well as allow inspections of suspicious cargo in ports and on the high seas, reports the Associated Press. The tip came from an anonymous government official; the White House National Security Council declined to comment on the possibility of a third nuclear test. North Korea has rejected the Obama administration’s attempts at engagement and threatens to retaliate if the U.N. changes its sanctions. According to Stephen Bosworth, President Obama’s special envoy on North Korea, the Obama administration is considering freezing North Korea’s foreign bank accounts, similar to a move by the Bush administration that cut the North off from the international financial system and disrupted nuclear talks. North Korea, Bosworth said, will “suffer consequences if it does not reverse course.”