Nuclear test possible, says pro-North Korea paper

A nuclear test by North Korea cannot be ruled out if the United States steps up what Pyongyang calls its hostile policy toward the communist country, a pro-North Korea newspaper published in Japan said on Saturday. The news comes amid reports that Pyongyang might be preparing a nuclear bomb test. "We cannot say for sure there will be no nuclear test by North Korea to strengthen its self-defence, if the Bush administration steps up the hard-line stance in military and other areas," said an editorial in Chosun Sinbo, run by ethnic North Koreans living in Japan. The editorial, posted on the newspaper's Web site, said last month's North Korean missile tests were also a response to Washington's threats, notably financial sanctions targeting Pyongyang and joint military exercises with South Korea.