Seoul, South Korea, June 27: A top South Korean official says North Korea is increasingly targeting the South with its nuclear arms program, and urged China and Russia to persuade the North not to conduct a widely expected nuclear test.

Unification Minster Kwon Youngse’s comments come after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un re-emphasized his nuclear ambitions last week and approved unspecified new operational duties for front-line army units. Experts say North Korea could be planning to deploy battlefield nuclear weapons along its tense border with South Korea. North Korea has spent much of the past three years expanding its arsenal of short-range solid-fuel missiles that are potentially capable of striking targets throughout South Korea, including U.S. bases there.-AP