Intelligence Puzzle: North Korean Bombs

As US President George W. Bush prepares to depart for a meeting with Asian leaders next week, more concern is being raised by new intelligence on North Korea's nuclear program. While the United Nations' atomic energy agency believes Pyongyang has produced two nuclear weapons in recent months, US officials are less certain about how to interpret the available data. Although tell-tale signs of nuclear rod reprocessing have been found by the US, the evidence is somewhat shaky, leaving Washington with what one senior official called "a lot of suspicions, but zippo evidence." North Korea's nuclear facilities are suspected to be in mountainous areas, making them "the hardest intelligence target we have," according to another official, "much harder than Iraq." Complicating Bush's upcoming trip even more, a political row with South Korea may still be in the brewing, too, as Seoul wants the US to seriously consider Pyongyang's request for security guarantees and other assistance in exchange for cutting back on its nuclear program. – YaleGlobal