North Korea close to ICBM that can hit U.S. with nuclear weapon, South Korean leader says

North Korea is close to developing an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit the United States with a nuclear weapon, South Korea’s president said Thursday — though he added that it has yet to master the last, crucial step

North Korea is close to developing an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit the United States with a nuclear weapon, South Korea’s president said Thursday — though he added that it has yet to master the last, crucial step.

North Korea has been ramping up its missile testing since talks between President Donald Trump and leader Kim Jong Un collapsed in 2019 amid disagreements over U.S.-led sanctions on the isolated state. Trump has said repeatedly since returning to office that he would like to resume diplomacy with Kim.

Speaking in New York on Thursday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said North Korea appears to already have enough nuclear weapons for “regime survival,” and that it continues to produce nuclear material and develop ICBMs capable of delivering nuclear warheads to the continental U.S.

“It seems not to have succeeded yet, but only one final step remains — so-called atmospheric re-entry technology,” Lee said at an investment summit at the New York Stock Exchange. “That, too, is likely to be solved soon.”

If the status quo is allowed to continue, North Korea will add roughly 15 to 20 nuclear warheads each year, Lee said, and its ICBM technology will advance to the point where it has more warheads than it needs to defend itself.