WORLD NEWS TONIGHT WITH PETER JENNINGS (06:30 PM ET) - ABC July 01, 2003
Nuclear Crisis North Korea Weapons
PETER JENNINGS, ABC NEWS
(Voice Over) And now, to North Korea and the Bush administration's concern with its nuclear weapons program. Bush administration officials tell ABC News they believe that the North Koreans are trying to develop miniature nuclear warheads that could be attached to its regular arsenal of missiles. ABC's Martha Raddatz is at the pentagon. How worried is the Bush team, Martha?
MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC NEWS
(Off Camera) Well, they are worried, Peter. And the reason they are concerned is when you place a smaller nuclear warhead on top of a missile, it can travel a lot farther.
MARTHA RADDATZ
(Voice Over) The North Koreans already have missiles that could reach Japan and beyond. But now, officials fear they are seeking to build a nuclear warhead light enough for the missiles to carry.
JOHN PIKE, DIRECTOR, GLOBALSECURITY.ORG
The US intelligence community expects that the North Koreans are doing the same thing that the United States did in its early atomic bomb program, going from atomic bombs that weigh several tons to atomic bombs that weigh less than a ton.
MARTHA RADDATZ
(Voice Over) An administration official says that classified satellite imagery has recently identified a site around Youngdoktong that has equipment that could be used to test these smaller weapons. But having the ability to test a device does not mean the North Koreans can actually build one. Smaller warheads are far more complicated to build than larger ones.
MARTHA RADDATZ
(Off Camera) The US does remain very concerned about what it does not know about North Korea's nuclear program. But, Peter, the administration insists this will all be solved diplomatically.
PETER JENNINGS
(Off Camera) Thank you, Martha. Martha Raddatz at the Pentagon.
Copyright © 2003, American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
