U.S., South Korea eye tabletop drills on North Korean nuclear attack

Official stresses importance of deterrence, alliance with Seoul amid rift fears

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observes a tactical weapons test in April 2022. He listed the mass-production of tactical nuclear weapons as one of the country's goals for 2023. (KCNA via Reuters)

RYO NAKAMURA and JUNNOSUKE KOBARA, Nikkei staff writers

January 4, 2023 01:51 JST

Updated on January 4, 2023 05:39 JST

TOKYO/SEOUL -- South Korea and the U.S. are planning tabletop military exercises against a potential nuclear attack by North Korea, a senior U.S. official has said, as Pyongyang signals a push to produce more nuclear weapons in 2023.

"The DPRK's actions and statements have caused increasing concern," a senior U.S. official told Nikkei on Monday, referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.