North Korea has advanced its nuclear knowledge to the point that it could arm a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead, a U.S. intelligence report concludes.
The jarring revelation came just hours before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry landed in South Korea in the midst of bellicose threats from the unpredictable communist regime.
Kerry landed in Seoul Friday on the unusual diplomatic journey, as he spearheads the effort to shift U.S. power away from Europe and the Middle East and toward Asia. His trip was planned well in advance of North Korea’s apparent preparations for another missile test.
Kerry and his South Korean counterpart said in a joint press conference North Korea will gain nothing by threatening tests of its missile or nuclear programs.
Kerry says the U.S. and its Asian ally won’t accept the North as a nuclear power, calling the country’s rhetoric “unacceptable.”