GETTY
North Korea and the USA could go to war as Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un both refuse to back down
North Korea frequently arranges its missile tests to coincide with major international meetings and Donald Trump’s visit to Seoul could be the perfect opportunity for the rogue state, an expert has warned.
Mr Trump’s visit to South Korea will conclude with a major speech on North Korea tomorrow but the US President has already sent a message to Pyongyang after landing in Seoul.

vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
The US President said while “we hope to God” not to have to resort to military force, he was ready to do whatever was necessary to prevent the “North Korean dictator” from threatening millions of lives.
After a meeting with South Korean president Moon Jae-in, Mr Trump said: “We cannot allow North Korea to threaten all that we have built.
“It really makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal.”
North Korean leadership undoubtedly feels pushed into a corner
The high-profile visit could provoke a fiery response from Kim Jong-un, who sees any cooperation between the US and North Korea’s Asian rivals as preparation for war.
In February the hermit state fired a rocket after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met Mr Trump in Florida.
And North Korea fired another missile as Mr Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Experts fear Kim could make his biggest statement yet by firing the so-called “Juche bird” – a fearful H-bomb.
Joshua Pollack of RUSI said North Korea could fire the weapon in a desperate show of force as his two fiercest rivals move closer together.
He said Kim favoured “public demonstrations” and expected one to take place shortly.
Mr Pollack said: “North Korean leadership undoubtedly feels pushed into a corner.”
He said Kim could make good on his promise earlier this summer to launch “the most powerful detonation of an H-bomb in the Pacific”.
This would most likely be the ‘Juche Bird’ H-bomb – the most powerful weapon North Korea possesses.
Mr Pollack said: “The logical sequence of actions would be to start testing them to full range into the Pacific, and then to use one for a live nuclear test if it is deemed necessary to convince America’s leaders that a new reality has emerged.
READ MORE: Will North Korea attack the USA?
GETTY
North Korea could launch a nuclear test as Donald Trump visits Seoul
“This is a high-risk enterprise, extreme even by Pyongyang’s standards
“If something goes wrong, a live nuclear warhead could fall onto Japan.
“It will be seen as an extraordinarily provocative act, one that could create a new unity among the great powers against North Korea and inspire a drive for rearmament in Japan.”
And it is believed the H-bomb would be launched from the hermit state’s east coast over Japan into the Pacific, where it would explode over the ocean.
It would destroy any living being in the immediate vicinity, sending fallout across a wide area.
GETTY
Donald Trump arriving in Seoul to discuss North Korea’s nuclear threat
And a failed detonation could see the missile come hurtling down onto Japan.
Vipin Narang, a nuclear strategy expert at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said the prospect was “truly terrifying”.
He said: “And if the test doesn’t go according to plan, you could have population at risk, too.
“We are talking about putting a live nuclear warhead on a missile that has been tested only a handful of times.
“It is truly terrifying if something goes wrong.”