According to NBC sources, North Korea may be upping its production of weapons-grade nuclear material at secret sites, and its leader, Kim Jong Un,\u2026<\/b>
\nAccording to NBC sources, North Korea may be upping its production of weapons-grade nuclear material at secret sites, and its leader, Kim Jong Un, will keep both the production and the location of those sites under wraps while seeking concessions from the U. S.
If the assessment is confirmed, it would run counter to a statement President Donald Trump made after his unprecedented meeting with the North Korean leader.
The president reported after that summit:
Just landed – a long trip, but everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea. Meeting with Kim Jong Un was an interesting and very positive experience. North Korea has great potential for the future!
Intelligence officials familiar with the assessment told the network on condition of anonymity that in their opinion, North Korea was ramping up its nuclear capability while at the same time squeezing the U. S. for concessions.
At the same time, the Hermit Kingdom has halted all testing of nuclear devices and ballistic missiles, \u00ab\u00a0there’s no evidence that they are decreasing stockpiles, or that they have stopped their production,\u00a0\u00bb one U. S. official told NBC News. \u00ab\u00a0There is absolutely unequivocal evidence that they are trying to deceive the U. S.\u00a0\u00bb
\u00ab\u00a0The observed activity appears inconsistent with a North Korean intent to abandon its nuclear weapons programs,\u00a0\u00bb said Bruce Klingner, a former CIA analyst and North Korea expert at the Heritage Foundation. \u00ab\u00a0There seems little reason to continue expansion plans if the regime intended to dismantle them as would be required under a denuclearization agreement.\u00a0\u00bb
This assessment wasn’t universal, however. A senior intelligence official told the network that although he expects Kim to make attempts at deception, he saw the current negotiations as a good sign.
\u00ab\u00a0Work is ongoing to deceive us on the number of facilities, the number of weapons, the number of missiles,\u00a0\u00bb he said. \u00ab\u00a0We are watching closely.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n