South Korea’s spy agency said on Monday it is possible North Korea can develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the US mainland this year and that it is monitoring developments closely.
No sign of an imminent nuclear test had been detected, though the North’s Punggye-ri complex appears ready for another detonation ‘at any time’, the agency told lawmakers.
North Korea, pursuing nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of world condemnation, is also enforcing stronger controls on outside information in the face of international sanctions, the lawmakers said after a closed-door briefing.
This undated picture released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on March 7, 2017 shows the launch of four ballistic missiles by the Korean People’s Army (KPA) during a military drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea
It has led to further speculation Kim Jong-un may conduct additional missile tests this year to polish up its long-range missile technology and ramp up the threat against the United States.
South Korea’s spy agency said today it was monitoring developments closely.
North Korea is pursuing nuclear weapons and missile programmes in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions and has made no secret of its plans to develop a missile capable of hitting the US mainland.
It has fired two missiles over Japan.
The reclusive state appears to have carried out a recent missile engine test while brisk movements of vehicles were spotted near known missile facilities, Yi Wan-young, a member of South Korea’s parliamentary intelligence committee which was briefed by Seoul’s National Intelligence Service, said.
The third tunnel at the Punggye-ri complex remained ready for another detonation ‘at any time’, while construction had recently resumed at a fourth tunnel, making it out of use for the time being.
‘The agency is closely following the developments because there is a possibility that North Korea could fire an array of ballistic missiles this year under the name of a satellite launch and peaceful development of space, but in fact to ratchet up its threats against the United States,’ the lawmakers told reporters after a closed-door briefing by the spy agency.
North Korea defends its weapons programmes as a necessary defence against US plans to invade.
The United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean war, denies any such intention.