‘N. Korea miniaturizes nuclear warheads, capable of striking New York’

One of the key members of the U.S. Congress stated that he believes North Korea has successfully miniaturized nuclear warheads. According to him, North Korea currently possesses the capability to launch nuclear weapons that can reach New York City.

During an interview with ABC News, Rep. Mike Turner, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, was asked about North Korea's claim of successfully miniaturizing nuclear warheads and whether the U.S. believes these claims to be true. He responded by saying, “Well, I think this is what we believe."

“Right now, North Korea can hit the United States, specifically New York City, with nuclear weapons,” he said. As the House Intelligence Committee chair, he holds a leadership position in the U.S. Congress and is privy to confidential information from government intelligence agencies. Consequently, his remarks suggest that U.S. intelligence agencies believe North Korea has achieved success in miniaturizing nuclear warheads.

“With respect to North Korea, obviously the concept of deterrence, where we have weapons, and they have weapons, is dead,” Rep. Turner said. This implies that as North Korea has acquired the capability to target major cities in the eastern United States, it has become increasingly challenging to deter a preemptive nuclear attack using U.S. nuclear weapons. This could also indicate a potential weakening of the extended deterrence provided by the nuclear umbrella to the Korean Peninsula.

The military and intelligence agencies in South Korea exercise caution when officially discussing North Korea's miniaturization of nuclear warheads, assessing that it has reached a significant level. However, it is known that internally, South Korea and the U.S. have determined that the miniaturization is nearly complete or already accomplished.


weappon@donga.com