|
'N Korea could build 8 nukes'
21/02/2007 11:24 - (SA)
Seoul - North Korea has enough plutonium to build an estimated four to eight crude nuclear warheads that could potentially be mounted on medium-range missiles, a Washington-based think tank said.
The amount of radioactive material in the communist nation is key to monitoring its compliance with a February 13 agreement to disarm, under which the North is required to declare all nuclear programmes and material to international inspectors.
The Institute for Science and International Security said in a report released on Tuesday that as of this month North Korea had between 46 and 64kg of plutonium, of which between 28 and 50kg is estimated to be usable for weapons - enough to make four to eight crude warheads.
It said most of the separated plutonium for bombs - possibly as much as 99% - was produced since late 2002, when the latest nuclear crisis with North Korea began after the US accused it of running a secret uranium enrichment programme.
The alleged uranium programme wasn't addressed in the report, which the ISIS said was based on scientific estimates and other publicly available information, along with visits to the actual facilities by ISIS experts.
The report said North Korea had likely obtained designs for a nuclear warhead from the nuclear black market run by Pakistan's AQ Khan. Such a bomb could possibly be mounted on North Korea's Nodong missile, which has an estimated range of about 1 000km, it said.
No confirmed information is available about the North's arsenal given its refusal to disclose such information publicly.
- AP
|
News
