North Korea’s primary trading partner also banned exports of aviation fuel to Pyongyang, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meets scientists and technicians involved in the North’s nuclear program during a field guidance tour, in this photo from the March 9 edition of the Rodong Sinmun newspaper.
Clapper made the statement after North Korea conducted its latest nuclear test in January and then a long-range rocket launch weeks after.
The official said: “We believe they have the ability to mount a nuclear warhead on a Rodong”.
CHINA has announced a series of sanctions against North Korea.
These videos, though amateurish in both production quality and content, leave the West with a stark reminder of the mad fantasies North Korea’s communist dictator holds.
The official said Seoul has no evidence that North Korea had actually deployed such a nuclear-tipped missile, but the new assessment is the first direct acknowledgement of the North’s growing nuclear prowess.
“In the wake of North Korea’s recent nuclear weapon test and satellite launch, South Korea has re-engaged in a debate about developing its own nuclear weapons capability, notwithstanding Seoul’s reliance on the US nuclear ‘umbrella, ‘” the report said.
Responding to this, the UN Security Council imposed its toughest sanctions yet.
North Korea had announced in 2013 that it planned to renovate and restart nuclear facilities, including the reactor which was closed down in 2007. South Korea estimates that this will affect about 60-70 vessels attempting to call at its ports each year.
The Defense Ministry said these provocative actions have not yet impacted the South Korean military but warned Pyongyang that it will “pay a due price” if the sabotage doesn’t stop, according to Yonhap.
The government’s assessment, shared in a background briefing with representatives of foreign news media here, followed a recent claim by North Korea that it had “standardized” nuclear warheads small enough to be carried by ballistic missiles.
Kim has ordered tests of a nuclear warhead and ballistic missiles capable of carrying one.
Rodong missiles, developed from Soviet-era Scud missiles, make up the bulk of the North’s short- and medium-range missile arsenal with an estimated stockpile of 200.
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If Pyongyang can successfully equip a functioning nuclear device on a missile that can reach such key locations, it will significantly bolster the credibility and potential threat of North Korea’s nuclear deterrent.
