The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff, Wire Reports

Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 07:24 PM

North Korea's Leader Says Rogue Nation On Verge Of Full Nuclear Capability

Kim Jong Un's regime is reportedly on the verge of announcing it's achieved full nuclear capability, as North Korea expedites its intercontinental ballistic missile program with the aim of being able to obliterate the "heinous gangsters" in the United States with a nuclear warhead.
South Korean unification minister Cho Myoung-gyon told foreign correspondents in Seoul that 2018 will be a “key year” for the rogue regime, which will celebrate its 70th anniversary since being established, Yonhap News Agency reported.

“North Korea has been developing its nuclear weapons at a faster-than-expected pace. We cannot rule out the possibility that North Korea could announce its completion of a clear force within one year," Cho said, according to the South Korean news site.

Cho said though North Korea hasn’t tested a nuclear weapon or missile since September, people shouldn’t overlook the brief hiatus. The regime seems to be testing missile engines and fuels, Yonhap reported.

Cho warned: "It is a fact that we have witnessed some noteworthy movements in North Korea. But it remains to be seen whether Pyongyang would make further provocations.”

The South Korean official said there are four possible reasons why the regime has stayed relatively silent for the last few months — a rarity after it launched more than a dozen missiles since the start of 2017 and conducted a nuclear test on Sept. 3. North Korea launched a missile on Sept. 14 that flew over Japan, three days after the U.N. approved new sanctions against the dictatorship.

"As a seasonal factor, the North's provocations noticeably fell in the winter time. Also from the technology perspective, the North may need the time to advance its [nuclear and missile] programs as it seeks to complete its nuclear force," Cho explained.