President Barack Obama warned North Korea on Friday against conducting another nuclear test, saying that it would draw a firm international response, according to the Associated Press.
North Korea is denying accusations from Seoul that it sent small, unarmed drone aircraft over the border recently, Reuters reported. Three of the drones crashed and were analyzed by the South, which said they came from North Korea.
Obama arrived in Seoul on Friday for a visit in which he will seek to reassure South Korea that he is committed to pressuring Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions, according to Reuters. Obama arrived in Seoul after starting an four-stop Asia tour in Tokyo on Wednesday. He is also due to visit Malaysia and the Philippines.
"If North Korea were to make the mistake of engaging in another nuclear test, it should expect a firm response from the international community," Obama said in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, according to the AP.
Although North Korea has ramped up provocative behavior in recent weeks with talk of a new type of nuclear test and a flurry of rocket launches, South Koreans have been preoccupied with one of the worst tragedies in their history, the sinking of a ferry carrying hundreds of youngsters to a vacation idyll, Reuters reported.
"I know my visit now comes as South Koreans are in mourning and my visit will be an opportunity to express the sympathy of the American people," Obama said, according to Reuters.
Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North Korean ruling party, on Friday said the claim that the drones came from the North were part of a "heinous conspiratorial farce" aimed at making the North look like it is engaging in belligerent behavior, adding that Seoul is trying to provoke a war, Reuters reported.
South Korean officials say they suspect three drones that crashed recently near the border with the North were flown on possible surveillance missions, according to Reuters. The Koreas have been divided since the 1950-53 Korean War.
