As North Korea is pressing on with its nuclear weapons program, many countries believe that it has developed miniaturized nuclear devices to fit into the warheads of its ballistic missiles, a confidential United Nations report warned on Monday.
The report was presented by an independent group monitoring the UN sanctions, and it said that many countries believed that Pyongyang’s past six experiments had likely helped it develop miniaturized devices.
Since September 2017, North Korea has conducted no tests. On Monday, the report was submitted to the United Nations North Korea sanctions committee, the RushHourDaily reported. However, the report did not mention the names of the countries alleging Pyongyang of developing its devices.
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The report said that North Korean authorities are continuing to develop its nuclear program, including the construction of a light-water reactor and the production of highly enriched uranium. It also added that a member state accused Pyongyang of the production of its nuclear weapons.
However, the North’s envoy to the UN did not make any initial comment on the report. Last week, Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, said that there would be no war as the country’s nuclear capabilities guarantee its safety and future despite military threats and outside pressure.
The report further alleged North Korea of violating the 2006 UN sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile program, including through the illicit maritime coal export. Though due to the coronavirus pandemic, it halted the export between January and early March.
Moreover, the UN Security Council has steadily strengthened its sanctions in a bid to cut off funding for those programs. The UN experts said last month that Pyongyang has generated more than 2 billion in sophisticated cyber-attacks and stealing from banks and cryptocurrency exchanges.
Since 2018, the leaders of the US and North Korea have met a total of three times. But the meetings failed to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons and its demands for an end to sanctions.
However, North pledged to destroy tunnels at its main nuclear site in May 2018, which it maintained that was proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing. However, Pyongyang did not allow international experts to witness the dismantlement of its site.
The confidential UN report said that the only known tunnels to the site had been destroyed, but there is no indication of comprehensive demolition. It further added that one country had alleged that Pyongyang could reestablish the infrastructure within three to four months needed to support its nuclear experiments.
