North Korea is continuing its nuclear program, and it's unknown whether the country will reengage in international negotiations aimed at ending the program, a U.S. diplomat for North Korea told reporters Friday.
"We are concerned that North Koreans are continuing to pursue their nuclear program, improve their nuclear and missile capabilities," said Ambassador Sung Kim, Washington's special representative for North Korea policy, reported The Associated Press.
North Korea reportedly ignored an opportunity to resume discussions following its release of three Americans in October and November, when the Americans boarded an official U.S. plane in Pyongyang accompanied by U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
"Unfortunately, we haven't seen any indication that the release of American citizens is changing North Korea's attitudes or approach on the nuclear issue," Kim said. "On the important question of how we can resume serious negotiations toward denuclearization, so far they have indicated no interest in doing so."
Nuclear negotiations between North Korea and six other nations - the U.S., China, Japan, Russia and South Korea - began in 2003. North Korea carried out its first nuclear test in 2006 and walked away from the talks in 2009, going on to conduct two additional underground tests in the following years.
"There's very strong consensus among the five parties that in order for us to have any chance of success in nuclear negotiations we need a very strong commitment from the North Koreans that in fact they would be a serious negotiating partner if and when negotiations resume," Kim continued.
A renowned U.S. nuclear scientist from Stanford University said on Wednesday that North Korea will likely posses 20 nuclear bombs by 2016, at a production rate of four bombs per year, and could even miniaturize those nukes.
"North Korea is presumed to have the capability of producing some four nuclear bombs per year, and it appears that the North will possess some 20 nuclear bombs by 2016," Siegfried Hecker, a Stanford University research professor who visited a North Korea nuclear complex in 2010, was quoted as saying by a representative of South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party, reported The Korea Herald.
"For the miniaturization, the North could carry out several rounds of nuclear tests down the road," Hecker was quoted as saying. "North Korea appears not to be sure [about the technology]."
Officials believe North Korea has the technology to build nuclear-tipped missiles, although it has not yet been demonstrated, said The Herald.
