GOING NUCLEAR
North Korea ‘secretly stockpiling nuclear warheads’ ahead of new clash with South & may already have identified targets
NORTH Korea has been secretly stockpiling nuclear warheads as it renewed hostilities with South Korea, according to a new report.
Kim Jong-un's rogue state blew up a highly symbolic liaison office - and it is feared the regime may have identified even more targets amid new tensions.
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It has emerged the North is suspected to have been quietly constructing more nukes despite talking up peace with both the US and the South.
Pyongyang is believed to have built a further ten warheads at a secret uranium enrichment facility in Kangson, according to the Stockholm International Peace Resarch Institute.
North Korea has repeatedly refused to declare the facility, which was one of the reasons that talks collapsed during its second summit with the US.
Blowing up the liaison office - which was jointly opened between the North and South in 2018 - is the latest twist in Pyongyang's unpredictable behaviour.
It is feared Kim and his cronies may have more destruction in mind as well, previously threatening to tear down other structures built by the South.
Other options on the table for Kim include renewing missile testing and also cancelling plans for a joint Olympic team next year in Tokyo.
North Korea has also been moving troops towards the infamous Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates the two states, and has threatened to even invade the buffer region.
It was just two years ago that Kim appeared to be trying to open up the North to the world with high profile talks with South Korean president Moon Jae-in and US president Donald Trump.
Waging a huge charm offensive, tensions rapidly deescalated after it was feared war was on the brink in 2017 as Trump threatened "fire and fury" for North Korea.
Opening up the liaison office in the border town was considered a key step as it allowed the two sides to readily communicate.
But as tensions started simmering again over the past few months, the North pushed them to boiling point as fiery rhetoric returned.
And it appears all progress has gone up in smoke with the carefully staged explosive stunt to destroy the liaison office in a brazen taunt to South Korea.
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North Korea has always insisted it was not intending to give up its nuclear weapons as it entered talks with the US and the South.
And the new detail about the swelling warhead stockpiles shows Kim was quietly pressing ahead with schemes despite trying to step into the world's good graces.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute analysts estimate North Korea now has an arsenal of between 30 to 40 nukes - ten more than the estimate from 2019.
Kim had dismantled a nuclear facility a Yongbyon, but the move was met with skepticism and it is believed the facility was out of date.
And amid the renewed tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the US has deployed three aircraft carriers in the Pacific.
USS Ronald Reagan, USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Nimitz are all on patrol - the biggest display of sea power since fears of war were at their peak back in 2017.
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Kim's sister is believed to be the mastermind behind the renewed aggressive approach to their traditionally hated neighbour.
In comments published by state media, Yo-jong slammed the President Moon, and accused Seoul of "pro-US flunkeyism".
It is believed she is attempting to secure her position in the regime by taking on the South as she steps in as Kim's defacto number two.
North Korea this week released pictures of the demolition of the liaison office, which was refurbished as part of peace talks for $8.6million (£6.8million).
Kim You-geun, deputy director of South Korea's national security office, branded the demolition as a "betrayal" of all those who have sought peace on the Korean Peninsula.
"We make it clear that the responsibility for anything that could happen because of the act lies entirely with the North Korean side," he said.
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Renewed hostilities come amid a row over defector activist groups sending anti-North Korean material over the border from the South.
In a statement via state media, North Korea slammed its neighbour for "sheltering scum" - referring to the defectors.
The groups had been flying balloons containing leaflets, cash, USB drives and SD cards into the rogue state.
Campaigners vowed for further launches over the coming weeks, defying government warnings of that they would punish the activists, stoking tensions with the North.
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North Korea is believed to be applying pressure in the hope of securing relief from crippling international economic sanctions.
Seoul has deployed troops near the border, vowing a "strong" response to any further provocation by Pyongyang.
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The two sides split officially in 1948, with the North being backed by the Soviet Union and the South being backed by the US amid the Cold War.
Both countries have remained technically at war since 1950, and efforts to try and finally sign a formal peace treaty back in 2018 now lie in tatters.
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South Korea says it will sternly respond if North Korea continues to raise tensions
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