North Korea Continues Its Nuclear Weapons Work

Last updated on Wednesday, August 1, 2018

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - New media reports that North Korea appears to be continuing development of nuclear weapons track what the Pentagon has been following and what Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefly discussed last week before Congress, officials said Tuesday.

Tom Squitieri, of Talk Media News, say media reports, in Reuters and the Washington Post, said U.S. intelligence has collected data that indicates Pyongyang is building missiles at the research facility that developed and manufactured North Korea's first intercontinental ballistic missiles. Those missiles are believed to have the sophistication to reach the U.S. mainland, Pentagon officials had previously said.

The Post reported there is evidence that work is taking place on at least one and possibly two liquid-fueled ICBMs at the site in Sanumdong, on the outskirts of the capital Pyongyang. The Post quoted officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss classified intelligence.

Reuters, quoting one official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the intelligence is classified, reported that photos and infrared images showed vehicles were moving about the location. It did not report on the level or progress of any missile development or construction.

Two Pentagon officials, speaking on condition of anonymity since they are not permitted to discuss intelligence matters, told TMN the latest media reports did not surprise those monitoring the situation. One said, "until a final agreement is reached, these things continue to go on."

Testifying before Congress last week, Pompeo said North Korea continues to produce fissile material for nuclear weapons despite the promise of leader Kim Jong Un to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.

"Yes, they continue to produce fissile material," Pompeo said at a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He had been asked about Pyongyang's steps to meet Kim's promise by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).

Pompeo told the committee that "progress is happening" toward denuclearization but "we will not let this drag out to no end." He also told Markey that were "lots of discussions" underway that he could not reveal and that "We have not been taken for a ride, senator."

Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of U.S. forces in Korea, last week said North Korea's nuclear production capability remains untouched.

"So we haven't seen a complete shutdown of production yet. We have not seen the removal of fuel rods. These types of things tell us that there are steps that still must be taken on the road to denuclearization," Brooks said during the Aspen Security Forum.

Information Talk Media News, http://www.talkmedianews.com

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