South Korea believes its
neighbour to the north may be able to mount a nuclear warhead onto a
medium-range missile. In a background briefing with foreign reporters Tuesday,
a government official said it appears North Korea has succeeded in
miniaturizing a warhead enough to be mounted onto a Rodong missile.
The official, who remains unnamed as per South
Korean government protocol, says this ballistic missile can deliver a one ton
(907 kg) warhead a distance of 2,000 km (1243 miles), putting U.S. military
bases in South Korea and Japan within range. The official said: "We
believe they have the ability to mount a nuclear warhead on a Rodong. Whether
they will fire it like that is a political decision."
However, the official added they
have no evidence to prove this capability, an assessment backed up by the
United States.
"We know that they've said
they have that capability and we have to take them at their word,"
Pentagon Spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters Tuesday. "But we have
not seen them demonstrate it."