North Korea and Pakistan both have nukes but China did not give them accurate delivery mechanisms
Sudhir Chadda
Feb. 11, 2005

North Korea and Pakistan both possess nukes. Both got their expertise from China. Pakistan and North Korea also got their expertise on missiles from China. China tried to make sure India and South Korea are kept on their toes. The real purpose of helping Pakistan and North Korea in their nukes and missiles was to create a deterrence and distraction for India and South Korea.

China never provided the technologies for delivering the nukes accurately to North Korea or Pakistan. It was up to North Korea and Pakistan to develop those mechanisms. There are indications that the two countries tried to develop the delivery techniques jointly and separately. But those indigenous efforts failed miserably.

Pakistani missiles have very low accuracy compared to world standard. Because of the borrowed technologies neither North Korea nor Pakistan ever dreamed of moving forward with any real space programs.

China wanted to provide the technologies so that arc rival South Korea and India get scared and are kept busy from different sides. But China also knew one day these countries especially Pakistan can turn against China and then China will be threatened with her own nukes. Pakistan and North Korea understood that and they embarked upon total proliferation all over the world including Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia and other countries.

North Korea's declaration that it possesses nuclear weapons does not necessarily mean it has a tested nuclear weapons system that can be deployed, defence analysts said on Thursday.

North Korea made the first official declaration of possessing nuclear weapons on Thursday and said it was suspending participation in six-country talks on its nuclear programmes because the United States was hardening it stand.

"It is one thing to talk about having a weapon and it's a different matter to talk about a complete nuclear weapons system," said Baek Seung-joo, who heads research on the North Korean military at South Korea's Institute for Defence Analyses.

North Korea has test fired short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, but its missile programme has been marred by accidents and the accuracy of the weapons has been questioned.

The reliability of the North's boast that it has nuclear weapons does not translate to its possession of a genuine and certified weapons system, which requires tests, Baek said.

"It is questionable whether North Korea has the capability to mount a reliable nuclear warhead," Baek said.

Gary Samore, Director of Studies at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the United Kingdom said those looking at the issue are pretty confident that North Korea has enough plutonium to build a small number of weapons. But he cautioned that nothing was confirmed regarding the North's nuclear capabilities.

"Most people in the field assume that North Korea can deliver a simple, implosion weapon by missile with a range that could hit Tokyo," Samore said, adding that no one was certain if North Korea had actually produced nuclear weapons.

"They want us to believe that they are capable of it," he said in a telephone interview. North Korea is believed to have one or two nuclear weapons and possibly more than eight. South Korean officials have said North Korea possessed nuclear weapons but assessments varied on whether they could be deployed.

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