hankyoreh

North Korea test launches its Hwasong-14 ICBM on July 4, 2017.

A confidential UN report states that North Korea is continuing to develop nuclear weapons, with some countries suggesting that it may have developed miniaturized nuclear weapons capable of being placed in a ballistic missile warhead, Reuters reported on Aug. 3.

In an article, the agency said it had acquired a copy of a report drafted by an expert panel under the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee. The interim report had been submitted to the Sanctions Committee the same day.

While it did not identify them by the name, the report stated that some countries had reached the conclusion that North Korea had achieved miniaturization of nuclear weapons over the course of its last six nuclear tests.

“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is continuing its nuclear program, including the production of highly enriched uranium and construction of an experimental light water reactor,” the report said.

“A Member State assessed that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is continuing production of nuclear weapons,” it added.

The report also quoted a member state as predicting that North Korea “may seek to further develop miniaturization in order to allow incorporation of technological improvements such as penetration aid packages or, potentially, to develop multiple warhead systems.”

Regarding North Korea’s May 2018 demolition of its Punggye Village nuclear test site in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province, the report noted that while the entrances had definitely been destroyed, there was no indication of the site’s total demolition. It also quoted a member state as assessing that North Korea could reinstall the necessary facilities for nuclear testing within three months.

On Aug. 2, Japan’s NHK network quoted the report as saying that North Korea “continues to manufacture nuclear-related materials and to improve its ballistic missile capabilities and equipment for the loading of nuclear warheads.”

The UN expert panel also stated that North Korea was violating sanctions, including “through illicit maritime exports of coal,” which have been comprehensively banned by UN sanctions. At the same time, it claimed that North Korea had “suspended these [coal exports] temporarily between late January and early March 2020” because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Shin Gi-sub, senior staff writer

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]