North Korea fired its most powerful and advanced solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile on Monday, extending a record-breaking run of weapons tests this year that have been condemned by the West.
South Koreans will continue assessing whether extended US deterrence could come under future threat, writes Jennifer Ahn (Council on Foreign Relations).
North Korea unveiled new, smaller nuclear warheads on Tuesday, a day after firing short-range ballistic missiles. The country has been ramping up its arsenal, especially since Kim Jong Un came to power in late 2011. The leader has vowed to increase the nuclear weapons at the fastest possible speed
Kim Jong Un's nuclear weapon ambitions have suffered a setback as a result of a series of cave-ins at North Korea's main uranium source and a tunnel collapse so severe that it is visible from satellite images.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for an "exponential increase" of the country's nuclear arsenal, highlighting the need to mass-produce tactical nuclear weapons, as well as development of a new intercontinental ballistic missile system, the official Korean Central News Agency said on Jan. 1.