Anchor: U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton says his country is watching North Korean activities "unblinkingly" amid speculation the Kim regime could be preparing for another missile test. During an interview with ABC on Sunday, Bolton was asked about recent media reports that North Korea is rebuilding a missile launch site at Dongchang-ri.
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: 

[Sound bite: US National Security Adviser John Bolton]  
"We see exactly what they’re doing now. We see it unblinkingly, and we don't have any illusions about what their capabilities are." 

National Security Adviser John Bolton addressed the series of recent reports that North Korea is rebuilding a key missile launch site on its southwestern coast. 

During an interview with ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday, Bolton said his government expends a lot of resources beyond the satellite photos that U.S. think tanks analyzed.

[Sound bite: US National Security Adviser John Bolton] 
(The president said he would be surprised if Kim did anything that was not per our understanding. Would you be surprised?)
"You know, nothing in the proliferation game surprises me anymore. I think Kim Jong-un has a very clear idea where the president stands, what the objectives the president’s trying to achieve are... "

Bolton said, however, he would not speculate on what the particular commercial satellite picture shows.
 
North Korea experts have concluded the North Koreans are in the process of building a rocket.

[Sound bite: US National Security Adviser John Bolton]  
(And what would the consequences be if we saw another test launch?) 
"Well as the president said, he’d be pretty disappointed if Kim Jong-un went ahead and did something like that, the president said repeatedly that he feels the absence of nuclear tests, the absence of ballistic missile launches is a positive sign. And he’s – he’s used that really as part of his effort to persuade Kim Jong-un that he has to go for what the president called the big deal, complete denuclearization."

Bolton added he will discuss the issue with his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong on Monday night Korea time, noting that Seoul could have spoken to Pyongyang about it. 

The Defense Ministry in Seoul told reporters on Monday that the South Korean military is collaborating with the U.S. to closely monitor missile facilities in the North. 

Last week, the South Korean National Intelligence Service and two U.S. think tanks revealed rebuilding activity at the North's missile launch site. American news outlets followed with reports on increased activity at another missile facility in Sanum-dong, sparking speculation the North could be preparing to launch a missile or a satellite.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.

[Photo : KBS News]