The country claims it would use 'smaller, lighter and diversified' nuclear weapons to attack U.S.
North Korea has moved a missile with “considerable range” to its east coast, South Korea’s defense minister said today, but he added that there are no signs the North is preparing for a full-scale conflict.
The report came hours after North Korea’s military warned it has been authorized to attack the U.S. using “smaller, lighter and diversified” nuclear weapons. It was the North’s latest war cry against America in recent weeks. The reference to smaller weapons could be a claim North Korea has improved its nuclear technology, or a bluff.
The North is not believed to have mastered the technology needed to miniaturize nuclear bombs enough to mount them on long-range missiles.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said he did not know the reasons behind the North’s missile movement, and it “could be for testing or drills.”
He dismissed reports in Japanese media the missile could be a KN-08, which is believed to be a long-range missile that, if operable, could hit the United States.
Kim told lawmakers at a parliamentary committee meeting the missile has “considerable range” but not enough to hit the U.S. mainland.
The range he described could refer to a mobile North Korean missile known as the Musudan, believed to have a range of 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles). That would make Japan and South Korea potential targets — along with U.S. bases in both countries — but there are doubts about the missile’s accuracy.
The Pentagon announced it will hasten the deployment of a missile defense system to the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam to strengthen regional protection against a possible attack.