North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the country has miniaturised nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles and ordered improvements in the power and precision of its arsenal, state media reported on Wednesday.
The comments, released on Wednesday, were his first direct mention of the claim, made repeatedly in state media, to have successfully miniaturised a nuclear warhead. “The nuclear warheads have been standardised to be fit for ballistic missiles by miniaturising them,” KCNA quoted Mr. Kim as saying as he inspected the work of nuclear scientists, adding “this can be called a true nuclear deterrent”.
South Korea’s Defence Ministry said that it did not believe the North has successfully miniaturised a nuclear warhead.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, speaking by telephone to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, described the situation on the Korean peninsula as “very tense” and called for all parties be remain calm and exercise restraint, China’s foreign ministry said.
