North Korea is trying to develop small nuclear weapons that can be delivered by missiles or aircraft, South Korea's defense minister said Tuesday.
North Korea
is
trying to develop small nuclear weapons that can be delivered by missiles or
aircraft,
South Korea
's
defense minister said Tuesday.
Kim Tae-young told lawmakers the North is "constantly seeking to make its
nuclear weapons smaller" for possible future delivery by ballistic
missiles or bombers.
Kim said the North is also believed to have 40 kilograms of bomb-making
plutonium, slightly less than previous estimates by the U.S.
He said it is "quite possible" Pyongyang is also building nuclear
weapons through uranium enrichment in addition to its plutonium operation.
"The more you test the weapons, the more likely you will deploy them to
the field," the Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying.
The North quit multinational nuclear disarmament talks in April 2009 and
conducted its second nuclear test a month later.
However, Kim said he sees "no clear signs" so far that the communist
country is preparing for another test.
Kim said last month that
Pyongyang
is
restoring facilities at its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, its source of
weapons-grade plutonium in the past.
Kim Tae-hyo, the president's deputy national security adviser, also said last
month that the nuclear program could cause immense damage in
South
Korea
if
Pyongyang
develops
smaller mobile weapons.
The North's current plutonium stockpile is estimated to be enough for six to
eight bombs.
Its Vice Foreign Minister Pak Kil Yon told the U.N. in September that his
country must strengthen its nuclear deterrent in the face of what he called
threats from the U.S.
The North has indicated willingness in principle to return to the six-party
forum chaired by its ally China and also involving South Korea, Japan, China,
the U.S. and Russia.
However, the
U.S.
says
the North must mend relations with the South and show sincerity about nuclear
disarmament before any resumption of the negotiations.
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