'N Korea might have plutonium for seven bombs'

Seoul, Oct 26: North Korea might have extracted as much as 50 kg of plutonium and is working to miniaturise nuclear devices to fit on ballistic missiles, a South Korean lawmaker said today, quoting from a Defence Ministry report.

That amount would be enough for up to seven nuclear weapons, the report said.

North Korea probably has been able to make a nuclear bomb weighing about two or three tonnes but needs to get them under one tonne to be able to deliver them via missiles, the report said.

The Defence Ministry declined to confirm the contents of the report, which was released to the media by lawmaker Song Young-sun today, but did confirm that a report on the subject was reviewed by the Defence Minister and commanding officers in a meeting on October 10.

The officials were meeting a day after North Korea detonated a nuclear device on October 9 in defiance of international warnings, triggering a UN Security Council resolution mandating financial and arms sanctions.

''It is estimated that (the North) has extracted up to 50 kg (110 lb) of plutonium,'' the report said. ''Seven to eight kg of plutonium is needed for one nuclear weapon,'' it said.

The lawmaker said the report was based on ministry estimates of reported North Korean nuclear activities.

Estimates of the North's nuclear arsenal have ranged from one or two weapons to as many as ten or more. Its plutonium stockpile is believed to be enough for 13 bombs, according to some estimates.

North Korea has a fleet of 82 Soviet-made IL-28 bombers that it can use to drop a nuclear weapon, the report said.

North Korea has said the October 9 test was successful and intended as a deterrent against what it calls a US attempt to start a nuclear war against it. Some analysts have questioned its success, however, given the explosion's small yield.

''The amount of plutonium needed to build a nuclear weapon varies widely depending on the technology of the country,'' said Kim Tae-woo, a proliferation expert at the Korea Institute of Defence Analyses in Seoul.

''Our analysis, which we hope is true, is that North Korea would not have the level of technology of an advanced nuclear power,'' Kim said.

Reuters

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