US agency says N Korea has nuclear weapon but seen unlikely

South Korea's Defence Ministry does not believe North Korea could mount a nuclear warhead on a missile.


Reuters April 12, 2013
South Korean President Park Geun-Hye (L) and US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) shake hands before their talks at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on April 12, 2013. PHOTO: AFP

SEOUL: A US government agency said North Korea has a nuclear weapon it can mount on a missile, adding an ominous dimension to  tensions on the Korean peninsula as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived for talks in Seoul on Friday.

However, the assessment by the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was swiftly dismissed by several US officials and South Korea.

Asked if war was imminent, a US official in South Korea said: "Not at all".

Washington's greatest concern, the official said, was the possibility of unexpected developments linked to the inexperience of North Korea's 30-year-old leader, Kim Jong-un.

"Kim Jong-un's youth and inexperience make him very vulnerable to miscalculation. Our greatest concern is a miscalculation and where that may lead," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"We have seen no indications of massive troop movements, or troops massing on the border, or massive exercises or anything like that that would back up any of the rhetoric that is going on."

Kerry was due to meet South Korean President Park Geun-hye and top brass from the 28,000-strong US military contingent in the country.

Park, meeting officials from her ruling Saenuri Party before her talks with Kerry, struck a conciliatory note by suggesting Seoul should at least listen to what North Korea had to say.

"We have a lot of issues, including the Kaesong industrial zone," local media quoted her as saying. So should we not meet with them and ask: "Just what are you trying to do?'"

The president was referring to North Korea's closure this week of the jointly run Kaesong industrial park, with the loss of 53,000 jobs.

South Korea Skecptical

South Korea's Defence Ministry maintained it did not believe North Korea could mount a nuclear warhead on a missile.

Despite the DIA report, the Pentagon's spokesman and the US national intelligence director both said it was "inaccurate" to infer Pyongyang had the proven ability to launch a nuclear missile.

The DIA was criticised after the start of the Iraq war in 2003 for being too bullish in predicting Baghdad might have weapons of mass destruction.

Its conclusion about North Korea follows more than a month of rising tension on the Korean peninsula.

China, North Korea's only major diplomatic ally, denied reports that it was staging military drills along the North Korean border.

Asked about the US reports that Pyongyang may have developed a nuclear weapon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said: "China upholds the maintenance of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and pushing for its denuclearisation via talks and consultations. No matter what changes there are in the situation, we will uphold this direction."

North Korea, claiming the United States is planning to invade, has threatened Washington and Seoul with nuclear war, although most experts say Pyongyang has no intention of starting a conflict that would likely bring its own destruction.

COMMENTS (1)

Rex Minor | 10 years ago | Reply

John Kerry is proving to be a waschlape (face cleaning cloth). The man who was once a presidential candidate is poving to be the disaster for Obama administration second term, which has earned the worst reputation in American history. This man is proving to be a burnt out not suitable for diplomatic, whereas Chuck Hagel is the finest indivdual and helping in reducing the tension which they created with their military exercises around a nuclear armed country and most probably has the potential to bring radiation in all counties around pacific ocean.

Rex Minor

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