North Korea now ‘capable of attaching nuclear warheads to missiles’ but still can’t hit a target
Kim Jong-un's rogue state has conducted a series of missile launches in the wake of its nuclear tests
TRIGGER-happy North Korea is now capable of attaching nuclear warheads to missiles but it has yet to master hitting a target, US defence chiefs have revealed.
Pyongyang has conducted a series of new missile launches in the wake of its fifth nuclear test in September, despite widespread international condemnation.
Experts say North Korea is able to make nuclear warheads small enough to arm Scuds, but it's not known if they can put weapons on larger rockets which can deploy warheads from space.
It can now build nuclear missiles with a maximum range of around 700 kilometres (430 miles).
However, Kim Jong-un's regime does not yet boast larger inter-ballistic missiles capable of reaching targets beyond East Asia, as test weaponry continues to disintegrate upon re-entry from space.
One said even though the state has yet to master targeting, the nuke threat still keeps him 'awake at night'
The defence official said: "Truthfully, they have the capability right now to be able to deliver a nuclear weapon, they are just not sure about re-entry, that's why they continue to test their systems out there."
He added that he believed North Korea can already "mate" a missile with a nuclear warhead.
The US is deploying an advanced missile defence system in South Korea in the wake of renewed testing by Kim.
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system will be up-and-running by next Summer, according to the Pentagon.
Pyongyang's continued nuclear testing has generated concern in the US military, and the Pentagon has devised contingency plans to try and halt its atomic capabilities.
The official added: "It is the threat that keeps me awake at night.
"You've heard other senior leaders say the same thing, primarily because we don't know what the 'Dear Leader' in North Korea really is after."