North Korea: no bomb soon – but uranium enrichment continues

A look at North Korea’s nuclear arms ambitions

Reuters Oct 5, 2009 10:1

“…………….NUCLEAR WEAPONS Even though it has exploded nuclear devices, North Korea has not shown that it has a working nuclear bomb.Experts said they do not believe the North has the ability to miniaturise an atomic weapon to place on a missile, but the secretive state has been trying to develop such a warhead.

Even if it did, North Korea does not appear to have the technology to guide the missile to a target.Its ageing fleet of Soviet-era bombers would have difficulty evading the technologically advanced air forces of regional powers the United States, South Korea and Japan to deliver a nuclear bomb outside the country. It has been testing ballistic missiles capable of reaching U.S. territory, but these have so far failed.
URANIUM ENRICHMENT

Last month, the North announced it was close to completing experimental enrichment of uranium, something the United States long suspected it was doing and giving it another path toward an atomic bomb.

The advantage for the North is that, unlike plutonium extraction from spent nuclear fuel, enrichment can much more easily be done away from the prying eyes of U.S. spy satellites. Also, the North can fuel it with its ample supplies of natural uranium. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz and Jonathan Thatcher, Editing by Ron Popeski)

FACTBOX-A look at North Korea’s nuclear arms ambitions | Reuters

October 6, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, North Korea, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons, uranium