Would Be A Major Escalation In Yearlong StandoffOct 16, 2003 9:16 pm US/Central
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea hinted Thursday that it may test a nuclear weapon in what would be a major escalation in the yearlong standoff with the United States and its allies over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. The communist state, in comments attributed to a spokesman for its Foreign Ministry, said it would "open its nuclear deterrent to the public as a physical force."

