North Korea is reportedly making progress in the struggle for the development of nuclear weapons. Several countries believe that autocracy has „likely developed small nuclear devices“ that will fit in the warheads of ballistic missiles, according to a confidential UN report.
The United Nations expert panel document on compliance with sanctions against North Korea emphasized that the assessments were based on information from a member country. „The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is continuing its nuclear program, including the production of highly enriched uranium and the construction of an experimental light water reactor,“ the report said.
It’s no secret that North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong Un is aiming for nuclear weapons. Only a few days ago, he made it clear in a speech that he saw a security guarantee in his country’s nuclear arsenal. „Thanks to our reliable and effective nuclear deterrence for self-defense, there will no longer be a word like war in this country,“ the state media quoted him at the end of July.
The denuclearization of the Korean peninsula was the central issue in several rounds of negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. The bilateral nuclear talks have been stuck since US President Donald Trump’s failed summit with Kim in February 2019 in Vietnam. Neither side could agree on a roadmap for North Korea’s nuclear disarmament and Washington’s return.
