Anchor: A top U.S. military official said on Wednesday that North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear weapon and missile capabilities and may stage military provocations at some point. However, South Korea, along with its allies Japan and the U.S., is prepared.
Park Jong-hong has this report.

Report: North Korea has continued the development of its nuclear weapons and missiles and may yet launch military provocations, according to one of the top U.S. military officials.

Mark Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the comments while speaking in a virtual seminar hosted by Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.

While the North has maintained a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests since November 2017, the country revealed a new longer-range intercontinental missile in a military parade on October 10.

Milley said the U.S. expects that provocations will come.

[Sound bite: Mark Milley, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff]
“Do I expect North Korea to do provocations at some point in the future? That's very possible. I mean, they've got a long history of doing things like that.”

He hinted that these possible provocations could be to test the mettle of the incoming U.S. administration, though another reason could be the many challenges that North Korea is currently facing.

[Sound bite: Mark Milley, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff]
“So North Korea has a wide variety of challenges internal to their own society.”

However, the top military official made it clear that the U.S. and its allies are fully ready and capable of dealing with any kind of provocation.

While it's true North Korea has advanced its nuclear weapon and missile delivery capabilities, he said the deterrence capabilities of South Korea, in combination with Japan and most importantly with the United States, is very significant.
Park Jong-hong, KBS World Radio News.