And staying with North Korea... there's growing speculation that North Korea is advancing its nuclear ambitions -- speculations strong enough to urge the U.S. administration to pay more attention to the situation in the North.
Ji Myung-kil has more.
North Korea is seeking to build ever-better nuclear weapons,... and The Washington Post says the growing evidence of that should prompt the Obama administration to take action to stop it.
But the U.S. may already be moving in that direction.
A separate report by Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency,... citing diplomatic sources in Washington,... says the U.S. might push for direct talks with North Korea next month and could use its international clout to stop the North from upgrading its nuclear capabilities.
The sources note, however, that the Iranian nuclear issue is more of a priority for Washington now.
The Post cites U.S. researchers who say the North's nuclear weapons program has gathered momentum and that it could expand rapidly over the next five years.
A recent report by the U.S.-Korea Institute at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University, based on data from the Institute for Science and International Security, concludes that Pyongyang could increase its stockpile of 10 to 16 nuclear warheads and expand it to 100, in the worst case, by 2020.
The report highlights the North's efforts to upgrade its technologies to produce road-mobile and solid-fuel missiles.
Most of North Korea's missiles use liquid fuel.
Still, many technological uncertainties remain, including how much fissile material North Korea can produce and whether scientists or engineers can overcome the steep technical challenges.
Despite the challenges, Pyongyang has surprised the international community before with its nuclear capabilities, such as by revealing a uranium enrichment plant in 2010.
The report advises having a clear-eyed view of the North's nuclear-weapons capabilities to keep the North in check.
Ji Myung-