SEOUL, South Korea — A senior South Korean policymaker on North Korea said Friday that it must be assumed that the North has the capacity to mount a nuclear device on a ballistic missile, adding that such a capability would pose “an existential threat" to South Korea.
The official, who spoke to a group of journalists on condition of anonymity, stressed that reliable information about the North’s capabilities is scarce, and he cautioned that he was not confirming that the North had built an operational nuclear weapon. But his comment, which was one of the most explicitly worded assessments of the North’s nuclear and missile capabilities by a senior official, reflected growing concern in the South Korean government that the North may have more advanced technology than previously believed.
