N. Korea Constructs New Missiles While Trump Claims Denuclearization Success

TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump (R) and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands following a signing ceremony during their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore o... TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump (R) and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands following a signing ceremony during their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. - Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un became on June 12 the first sitting US and North Korean leaders to meet, shake hands and negotiate to end a decades-old nuclear stand-off. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

While President Donald Trump proclaimed on Twitter in recent weeks that North Korea is “no longer a Nuclear Threat,” the regime continues to construct new missiles, according to U.S. intelligence officials who spoke with the Washington Post.

U.S. spy agencies have recently seen satellite photo evidence that North Korea is building at least two intercontinental ballistic missiles at the factory where it created its first missile that it said could reach the United States. The officials who spoke to the Post said the evidence doesn’t show that North Korea is growing its nuclear potential, but that it is still working on constructing modern weapons.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Congress last week that the regime also continues to secretly produced the material used in making nuclear weapons.

While North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did follow through with one agreement he made with Trump — to return the remains of U.S. soldiers who were killed in the Korean War — the secret construction of additional weapons is just the latest indication that Trump may have determined his success in denuclearizing North Korea too soon.

Kim signed an agreement to work toward denuclearization during a summit with Trump last month, and Trump spent the wake of the meeting praising the brutal regime leader’s character and intelligence. It is unclear whether Kim will follow through on any of those promises as the country’s officials have discussed plans to deceive Washington about their unclear arsenal, according to the Post.

Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: