MILITARY
Is North Korea Balking at Denuclearization?
July 5, 2018 - Mike Pompeo travels to North Korea in an effort to press the Pyongyang regime on commitments the U.S.said it gave at a summit last month in Singapore. But recent reports indicating that North Korea is continuing its weapons programme, despite pledges to denuclearise, are casting doubt on its sincerity in peace talks.
An NBC News report quoted U.S. officials saying U.S. intelligence agencies believe North Korea has increased production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months.
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California, issued a report saying recent satellite imagery showed North Korea was completing a major expansion of a key manufacturing plant for solid-fuel missiles.
And 38 North, a North Korea monitoring project affiliated with Washington’s Stimson Center think tank, said satellite imagery showed the North had been upgrading its Yongbyon nuclear complex.
- North Korea Has Continued Ballistic Missile Launcher Production in 2018 (The Diplomat)
- North Korea working to conceal key aspects of its nuclear program (Washington Post)
- North Korea satellite images show missile plant construction (CNN)
- North Korea has increased nuclear production at secret sites (NBC News)
- Infrastructure Improvements at North Korea’s Yongbyon Nuclear Research Facility (38 North)