North Korea has enough plutonium and uranium to produce at least a double-digit number of nuclear weapons, said a South Korean lawmaker quoted by Reuters, citing information from South Korean intelligence, cited by BTA.
The intelligence agency also believes that it is possible for North Korea to conduct a seventh nuclear test after the US presidential election on November 5, said Lee Song-kwon, a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
In July, a report by the Federation of American Scientists concluded that Pyongyang may have produced enough nuclear material to build up to 90 warheads, but likely assembled about 50.
North Korean state media rarely covers visits by leader Kim Jong-un to uranium enrichment facilities, Lee noted. He said a media release earlier this month was likely intended to send a message to Washington ahead of the US presidential election. The MP, who spoke to journalists after being briefed in detail by South Korea's National Intelligence Service on the situation, noted that it is possible that the message also had domestic political goals.
"I was told that the economic situation is dire, so it could be interpreted as an act to instill confidence in residents,” Lee said.
Pyongyang says its arsenal of nuclear weapons and the ballistic missiles that carry them is necessary to counter threats from the US and its allies. In addition, the North Korean leadership considers them a matter of national prestige and proof of the country's power, notes Reuters.