A top U.S. diplomat warned on Tuesday that Washington will take a “swift and forceful response” if North Korea conducts a nuclear test, after the State Department assessed the DPRK could do so in the “coming days.”

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman made the remark during a visit to Seoul for discussions on North Korea and other issues, including Pyongyang’s recent launch of short-range ballistic missiles and a possible nuclear test.

“There would be a swift and forceful response to such a test, because as the International Atomic Energy Agency itself has said, there is concern that they [North