N. Korea has yet to master nuclear missile technology: FM

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said North Korea has developed its nuclear missile capability at a faster-than-expected pace but has yet to master the technology.

In a CNN interview aired Tuesday, Kang spoke about North Korea's launch last week of a new intercontinental ballistic missile it claims is capable of striking the entire U.S. mainland with a nuclear weapon.

"Yes, they have," she said when asked if the regime appears to have made significant progress in its weapons program. "And at a pace that's far faster than many of us have expected."

But she noted there is still a ways to go before North Korea completes the technology.

"There is no concrete evidence that they have mastered the technology that is required to be able to put a nuclear device on a long-range nuclear missile," she said, citing re-entry capability, remote targeting and miniaturization of a nuclear warhead. "They have not yet reached the final, final completion stage yet. I think that would be the shared view of all the technical expertise around this program."

The foreign minister called on the international community to implement all U.N. Security Council sanctions against the regime to force a change of behavior.

hague@yna.co.kr
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