North Korea Possesses At Least Eight Nuclear Weapons

The Internet version of Washington Post reported on April 28 that U.S. decided to raise significantly its estimate of the number of North Korea’s nuclear weapons from “possibly two” to “at least eight.”

Regarding the highly enriched uranium (HEU) program, U.S. also concluded that North Korea would soon enter into actual operation of it and be able to make nuclear material capable of producing six nuclear weapons every year, the newspaper reported.

After the first round of the Six-nation conference, which discussed North Korea’s nuclear weapons on August 2003, U.S. informational institutions have processed a re-evaluation of their positions on North Korea’s nuclear program on a development level, and will complete it at the end of this month. Even if the details are not released to the public, they will provide their official word on North Korea’s capability according to the conclusion of the report.

“Since an estimate depends in great part on situational evidence, each institution has different views on the particular numbers,” the newspaper said. “While the Department of Energy maintains heightened numbers and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) estimates that the HEU program will be operational at the end of this year, the U.S. Department of State is skeptical about North Korea’s ability to field and produce nuclear weapons.

The newspaper added that this adjustment upward of North Korea’s ability could invoke criticism that George W. Bush did not responded to North Korea crisis appropriately by excessively focusing on the Iraq War.

Dick Cheney, U.S. vice president, warned after a tour of the Eastern Asia that there was not much time left to solve the North Korea problem with diplomatic relations because the possibility that North Korea will sell technology or materials of nuclear to terrorists is heightening.

Kyodo News reported that executives of six nations, South Korea, North Korea, China, America, Japan and Russia, will conduct a meeting around May 12, ahead of the third round of the Six-nation conference scheduled for the end of June.

Kyodo added that Yoriko Kawaguchi, Japanese foreign minister, is also discussing the first meeting of a working group in mid-May.