North Korea ‘building new missiles’
US spy agencies see increased activity at sites previously used to build ballistic missiles
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
The US has said North Korea is building new intercontinental ballistic missiles at the facility previously used to create missiles capable of reaching California.
Construction is underway one on “at least one and possibly two liquid-fuelled ICBMs at a large research facility in Sanumdong” on the outskirts of Pyongyang, reports The Washington Post, citing anonymous US spy officials.
Intelligence reports – including satellite imagery – suggest work on weaponry capable of hitting the US is continuing, despite recent assurances by Donald Trump that North Korea is “no longer a nuclear threat”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“These are not the first reports of that North Korea may be continuing its weapons programme, casting doubt on the real impact of the summit in Singapore,” the BBC reports.
Last week Trump revealed new satellite imagery that appeared to show that North Korea was in the process of dismantling a “key missile site”.
US intelligence agencies have also reported in recent days that there have been signs of increased activity at other weapons facilities on North Korea.
Last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reported to the Senate foreign relations committee that Pyongyang is continuing “to produce fissile material” used in the construction of nuclear warheads.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Political cartoons for February 16Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include President's Day, a valentine from the Epstein files, and more
-
Regent Hong Kong: a tranquil haven with a prime waterfront spotThe Week Recommends The trendy hotel recently underwent an extensive two-year revamp
-
The problem with diagnosing profound autismThe Explainer Experts are reconsidering the idea of autism as a spectrum, which could impact diagnoses and policy making for the condition
-
Greenland’s capital becomes ground zero for the country’s diplomatic straitsIN THE SPOTLIGHT A flurry of new consular activity in Nuuk shows how important Greenland has become to Europeans’ anxiety about American imperialism
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Which way will Trump go on Iran?Today’s Big Question Diplomatic talks set to be held in Turkey on Friday, but failure to reach an agreement could have ‘terrible’ global ramifications
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Ukraine, US and Russia: do rare trilateral talks mean peace is possible?Rush to meet signals potential agreement but scepticism of Russian motives remain
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer