North Korea likely to declare completion of nuclear program next year: expert

By Sohn Ji-young

Published : Aug. 7, 2017 - 17:01

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North Korea is likely to complete the development of nuclear weapons next year and could carry out its sixth nuclear test in the near future to achieve that goal, a Seoul-based security expert said Monday.

Chung Sung-yoon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Pyongyang may declare success in acquiring full nuclear capability in 2018, when the reclusive regime marks the 70th anniversary of its establishment.

“We cannot rule out the possibility that North Korea will declare 2018 as the accomplishment year of nuclear armament,” said Chung during a speech at a security seminar in Seoul.

Therefore, the communist country might test “pretty soon” the detonation of a “boosted fission weapon,” with explosive yield equivalent to up to 120 kilotons of TNT, the expert added

Pyongyang. Yonhap

Considered to be “one step away” from a hydrogen bomb, a boosted fission weapon uses fusion fuel to increase the rate and yield of a fission reaction. The South Korean military concluded that the North’s fifth nuclear test in September used this, not an H-bomb as the North claimed.

But analysts warned that North Korea appears to have made progress since the last test. Citing an anonymous US defense official, Fox News reported last week that North Korea is putting the final touches on the development of a hydrogen bomb and that it could succeed in six to 18 months.

Some suggested that another nuclear test could take place whenever possible. Last month, the 38 North, a website specializing in North Korea analysis, said there was indication in mid-April that Pyongyang’s leadership was ready to carry out a nuclear test, but backed off following “a deliberate political decision.”

To prevent North Korea’s further provocations, South Korea and the US need to ensure North Korea realizes that its relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons will face “various sets of punishment” that the regime cannot afford, Chung said.

“We have to make North Korea realize its efforts to advance nuclear capability and achieve military goals will be denied by the allies. We have to ensure the North realizes uncertainty and punishment are involved in its nuclear ambitions,” Chung added.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)

North Korea likely to declare completion of nuclear program next year: expert

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