While U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly dismissed North Korea's series of missiles in recent months as being short-range and "very standard",... reports indicate advancements in North Korea's arsenal.
For more on this Lee Seung-jae reports.
Since May,... North Korea has fired off at least 18 missiles. However, despite the repeated missile launches,... President Trump has dismissed their importance as being short-range and "very standard" tests.
While the president agreed there may be a United Nations violation on the missile tests,... he says any concerns are overblown.
However, U.S. intelligence officials and other experts have come to a different conclusion,... that the very missile launches downplayed by the president,... including two late last month,... have allowed Pyeongyang to test missiles with greater range and maneuverability,... that could potentially overwhelm American defenses in the region.
According to the latest report by the New York Times,.. the rapid advancements in the short-range missiles not only put South Korea and Japan in increased danger,... but also threaten at least eight American bases.
Experts say such missiles could be designed to hold either conventional or nuclear warheads.
Other outside experts say that Kim Jong-un's flattering letters to Trump may be the North Korean leader's strategy of buying time to improve his missile technology,... despite all the sanctions on Pyeongyang.
In an interview with the New York Times,... Vipin Narang,... a political-science professor at M.I.T. who studies North Korean weaponry advances say Kim is exploiting loopholes in his agreements with Trump.
He added that North Korea's latest mobile-launched missiles move fast, fly very low, and it's only a matter of time before those technologies are transferred to longer-range missiles.
Last week,... North Korea's state-run media made it clear that the regime feels no limits when it comes to improving other missile technologies,... adding it would never accede to the West's demand for disarmament under pressure to appease the international community.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
