ID :
23351
Thu, 10/09/2008 - 10:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/23351
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea unlikely to possess nuclear weapons: military chief
By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea may be working to develop a light-weight nuclear warhead that can be loaded onto a missile, but it is not clear whether the communist nation actually possesses warheads or has actually begun their development, the chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Wednesday.
Gen. Kim Tae-young noted the North is believed to have about 40 kilograms of
plutonium, enough to make six or seven nuclear weapons, but said it was not
certain whether Pyongyang has already used up its plutonium stockpile to produce
weapons.
Kim's remarks came in a response to a question during a parliamentary audit of
the JCS.
The JCS chairman answered that the North may well have the ability to launch a
program to develop nuclear warheads, but reiterated nothing was known for
certain.
"Because we have seen North Korea engaged in experiments to manufacture nuclear
devices and conduct high explosive tests, we believe they have the ability to
initiate such a program," Kim said, apparently referring to North Korea's
first-ever detonation of a nuclear device in October 2006.
Kim could not say definitively whether North Korea currently possesses nuclear
weapons, but his remarks were consistent with many nuclear experts who say the
North will have wasted its plutonium if it has already produced nuclear weapons
without fully-proven nuclear technology. Those experts believe the 2006 nuclear
test by North Korea was only a partial success at best, if not a complete
failure.
"As I said earlier, it is certain that North Korea possess plutonium. It is
certain the North has enough plutonium to make six to seven nuclear weapons, but
it is not clear whether it has produced nuclear weapons," Kim later said when
again asked if North Korea currently possesses nuclear arms.
"Because (the 2006 test) was not a complete test and only yielded partial
success, it is not clear whether the North has weaponized its plutonium," he
added.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea may be working to develop a light-weight nuclear warhead that can be loaded onto a missile, but it is not clear whether the communist nation actually possesses warheads or has actually begun their development, the chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Wednesday.
Gen. Kim Tae-young noted the North is believed to have about 40 kilograms of
plutonium, enough to make six or seven nuclear weapons, but said it was not
certain whether Pyongyang has already used up its plutonium stockpile to produce
weapons.
Kim's remarks came in a response to a question during a parliamentary audit of
the JCS.
The JCS chairman answered that the North may well have the ability to launch a
program to develop nuclear warheads, but reiterated nothing was known for
certain.
"Because we have seen North Korea engaged in experiments to manufacture nuclear
devices and conduct high explosive tests, we believe they have the ability to
initiate such a program," Kim said, apparently referring to North Korea's
first-ever detonation of a nuclear device in October 2006.
Kim could not say definitively whether North Korea currently possesses nuclear
weapons, but his remarks were consistent with many nuclear experts who say the
North will have wasted its plutonium if it has already produced nuclear weapons
without fully-proven nuclear technology. Those experts believe the 2006 nuclear
test by North Korea was only a partial success at best, if not a complete
failure.
"As I said earlier, it is certain that North Korea possess plutonium. It is
certain the North has enough plutonium to make six to seven nuclear weapons, but
it is not clear whether it has produced nuclear weapons," Kim later said when
again asked if North Korea currently possesses nuclear arms.
"Because (the 2006 test) was not a complete test and only yielded partial
success, it is not clear whether the North has weaponized its plutonium," he
added.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
