Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

According to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), North Korea has likely enriched sufficient uranium to produce a “double-digit” number of nuclear bombs and is advancing its missile capabilities.

What’s the deal: Following a briefing with South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters that North Korea possesses around 70 kilograms of plutonium.

Other takeaways: The NIS reportedly told South Korean lawmakers that recent photos released by North Korea at a secret uranium enrichment facility with Kim Jong Un were intended to be a warning to the United States ahead of the upcoming US presidential elections. Additionally, the NIS indicated that North Korea is enhancing its missile capabilities, particularly those designed for precision strikes on South Korean targets, and may further escalate tensions through potential missile tests or other military provocations.

This development comes as polling in South Korea has shown that the majority of the population wants their country to acquire nuclear weapons or have the United States bring back tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea, which were removed from South Korea in the 1990s.

At the time, General Mark Milley (who was the top US military official), addressed reports suggesting that South Koreans were in favor of acquiring nuclear weapons to deter North Korea. Milley stated, “The ironclad commitment is not just words; it’s a reality. We’ve got thousands of troops right there. The United States would prefer nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. We think they’re inherently dangerous, obviously. And we have extended our nuclear umbrella to both Japan and South Korea.”