Photo : KBS News
South Korea’s state intelligence agency said North Korea may carry out its seventh nuclear test after the U.S. presidential election November 5.
According to lawmakers sitting on the National Assembly’s bipartisan intelligence committee Thursday, the National Intelligence Service(NIS) said the North is more likely to conduct the test after the election, as it has various military options such as the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile or satellite.
The NIS said Pyongyang has around 70 kilograms of plutonium and a considerable amount of highly enriched uranium in its possession, enough to make dozens of nuclear weapons.
Regarding North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s recent visit to a highly enriched uranium production facility, the spy agency said it is probably related to the U.S. election on the external front.
At the same time, the NIS said, it is likely an attempt to instill confidence in the North Korean people amid an ailing economy.
Regarding the test-firing of a new tactical ballistic missile by the North last week, the NIS concluded that its purpose was to verify the country’s precision striking capabilities, saying one of the two missiles reached its target.
The agency added that security threats against South Korea have increased as either a heavyweight warhead missile or a projectile reached its target.