NPT Review Conference Chair: "North Korea's Nuclear Test Will Prompt Other Asian Countries to Advocate for Nuclear Armament"

Gustavo Slauvinen, Chair of the NPT Review Conference (right in photo) [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] A warning has been issued that if North Korea proceeds with a nuclear test, it could cause a major upheaval, including calls for nuclear armament in other Asian countries.

Gustavo Slauvinen, Chair of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, pointed out in an interview with the media on the 15th (local time) that if North Korea proceeds with a nuclear test, it would "affect all aspects."

Chair Slauvinen said, "There will be ripple effects as regional security will be damaged again," and added, "It is possible to anticipate that some officials in other Asian countries may call for their own countries to possess nuclear weapons."

Chair Slauvinen is currently presiding over the NPT Review Conference held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA. This conference, which runs from the 1st to the 26th, is held to review the international community's commitments to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The conference is held every five years and was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19 and is being held this year for the first time in seven years.