intelligence report, saying only that the North has "high nuclear and missile capabilities" but that it is still some time away from a nuclear bomb that is "small, light and diversified." He refused to comment specifically on the U.S. Speaking beside Kerry, South Korea Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se called for more United Nations action against Pyongyang if it commits another provocation. Citing the Pentagon's assessment, Kerry rejected the finding and said that Pyongyang still hadn't developed or fully tested the nuclear capacities needed for such a step. Kerry also weighed in on an intelligence report that rocked Washington on Thursday and suggested that North Korea now had the knowhow to arm a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead - even if the weapons would lack reliability. “We will stand with South Korea and Japan against these threats. "And it will be a provocation and unwanted act that will raise people's temperatures." Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in South Korea. "If Kim Jong Un decides to launch a missile, whether it's across the Sea of Japan or some other direction, he will be choosing willfully to ignore the entire international community," U.S. military installations on Japan’s main island. Japanese officials long have feared that North Korea not only has the means but several potential motives for launching an attack on Tokyo or major U.S. "We are doing all we can to protect the safety of our nation," chief Cabinet spokesman Yoshihide Suga said, though he and Ministry of Defense officials refused to confirm the reports about the naval alert, saying they do not want to "show their cards" to North Korea. Japan has deployed PAC-3 missile interceptor units around Tokyo to protect its capital and is taking North Korea’s rhetoric seriously. The warning reportedly is in response to Tokyo's standing orders to destroy any missile heading toward Japan, according to Korean Central News Agency. North Korea reportedly warned Japan that Tokyo would be the first target if Pyongyang decides to play its nuclear card. Tokyo is a target for Korean Nukes and they (NK) have said so. If Japanese Land gets its own nukes it would be a complete 180 from their usual no nuke policy which has been in place since the late 1940's.īeing as Japanese Land has had nukes dropped on it in anger that's some fucked up shit right there. It should also be noted that the US entered DEFCON 2 "Fast Pace" during the Cuban Missile crisis, when nuclear capable IRBM's were also in a firing position, so it could be possible that this unconfirmed report is true.ĬNN : The Pentagon's intelligence arm has assessed with "moderate confidence" that North Korea has the ability to deliver a nuclear weapon with a ballistic missile, though the reliability is believed to be "low." As a note, the US DEFCON, WATCHCON, and FPCON systems are classified, so any reports surfacing about these levels are purely speculative. One Congressman claims that North Korea may have warhead deliverable nuclear weapons, however, a source inside the Pentagon claims that this is "inaccurate". Korean nuclear missile capability? Pentagon says no, intel reports say maybe.Īmidst unconfirmed reports from congressmen and The Pentagon, multiple news agencies have reported one nuclear missile launcher in the upright position somewhere in North Korea. At all times, citizens are urged to learn what steps to take in the event of a nuclear attack. The public should make their own evaluations and not rely on the DEFCON Warning System for any strategic planning. It is not affiliated with any government agency and does not represent the alert status of any military branch. Code: Select all The DEFCON Warning System is a private enterprise which monitors world events and assesses nuclear threats against the United States by national entities.