North Korea is in the final stages of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the U.S., the president of South Korea has said.
Why It Matters
North Korea’s U.N.-sanctioned nuclear weapons program is a major source of tension with the U.S., but its leader, Kim Jong Un, has ruled out even discussing denuclearization.
Nevertheless, both Kim and President Donald Trump have suggested a revival of the unprecedented talks they conducted over three rounds during Trump’s first term as president.
The secretive state releases few specific details about its nuclear and missile programs but Kim has called for the rapid expansion of the atomic arsenal in the face of what he sees as threats from the U.S. and its Asian allies, South Korea and Japan.
What To Know
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said North Korea appears to have secured enough nuclear arms to sustain its arsenal, and was in the final stages of completing a missile re-entry system to enable its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) to hit the U.S. mainland, Reuters and South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.
“They are continuing to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States, carrying a nuclear bomb and bombing the United States,” Lee said at an investment conference in New York.
“It appears they haven’t achieved success yet, but they are in the final stage, only with the so-called atmospheric re-entry technology left. That, too, is likely to be resolved soon,” said the South Korean leader, who is in New York for the U.N. General Assembly.
North Korea has conducted six underground nuclear tests since 2006, the most recent in 2017.
Experts estimate North Korea has 50 nuclear bombs in its arsenal and it has also tested various ICBMs, some fueled by solid propellant. However, experts have also speculated that it has yet to overcome critical technological problems in developing ICBMs capable of striking the U.S. mainland.
North Korea said last November a successful test of its Hwasong-19 ICBM put it at the forefront of global military power. State media identified the missile as “the world’s strongest strategic missile” and a “perfected weapon system.”
North Korean state media reported in early September a successful test of a high-thrust solid-fuel missile engine using composite carbon fiber material for its long-range ballistic missiles, marking a “significant” strengthening of nuclear strategic forces.
South Korea said on Thursday that North Korea has up to 2 tonnes (4,409 pounds) of highly enriched uranium—enough to make several bombs of the same size as the one the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima—and is making more all the time, underscoring the importance of reviving negotiations to stop the nuclear program.
What People Are Saying
North Korean leader Kim told a parliamentary meeting on September 20: “The reality of the military and political situation we face is that the adventurous and ostentatious military actions of our adversaries have created unpredictable and dangerous situations in all domains—land, sea, and air—and the level of confrontation among nuclear powers has reached an unprecedented escalation.”
He added: “The deterrent function of our nuclear forces, which can deal with and overwhelm all security challenges posed from outside, is fully operational.”
What Happens Next