U.S. missile experts say North Korea’s missile capability could be curbed if Pyongyang’s imports of critical rocket components are intercepted.
David Wright, co-director of the Union of Concerned Scientists, and MIT Professor Theodore Postol, said in a new report that the North is likely to have acquired key rocket components from other countries, most notably Russia. The report was issued by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists earlier this week.
The report said that if such theories are true, North Korea's indigenous missile capability could be significantly constrained if Pyongyang is denied further access to critical components.
The report said that dozens or hundreds of Russian missile experts reportedly began working in the North in the early 1990s when Russia was mired in financial turmoil. Such experts were said to have come from the Makeyev Missile Design Bureau in Russia, which produced liquid-fueled missiles, including Scud-B missiles.
The report said North Korea may have considerably higher incentive to negotiate an end to its missile program if its supply of key rocket components is limited.