U.S. Secretary of State arrives in S. Korea amid missile fear

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in South Korea on a diplomatic visit that coincides with the disclosure of an intelligence report concluding North Korea could arm a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead, Belfast Telegraph said.

Kerry was beginning four days of talks in East Asia amid speculation that the North's unpredictable regime would launch a mid-range missile designed to reach as far as the U.S. territory of Guam. Kerry also plans to visit China and Japan.

North Korea often times its provocations to generate maximum attention, and Mr Kerry's presence in Seoul will provide plenty of that, even if the U.S. is engaged in intense diplomacy with China, the North's benefactor, in an effort to lower tensions. Another dangerous date on the calendar is April 15, the 101st birthday of North Korea's deceased founder, Kim Il Sung.

The U.S. report, disclosed at a congressional hearing in Washington, said the Pentagon's intelligence wing has "moderate confidence" that North Korea has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles but that the weapon would be unreliable.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said later that "it would be inaccurate to suggest that the North Korean regime has fully tested, developed or demonstrated the kinds of nuclear capabilities referenced" at the congressional hearing.

The Obama administration believes North Korea is preparing for another missile test, said a senior State Department official travelling with Kerry on the plane to Seoul. "We will show to our allies that we are prepared and we will defend them," the official said.