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Our military authorities also believe that North Korea's nuclear test has already been completed and that only Chairman Kim Jong-un's decision remains.
The defense ministers of the Republic of Korea and the United States are meeting this week to respond to North Korean provocations.
Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop said he sees a 10% increase in North Korea's nuclear material in recent years.
By Lee Dae-wook.
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Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop, who asked the National Assembly-to-government question, said that even after the Panmunjom Declaration in April 2018, North Korea's nuclear development has progressed steadily.
[Lee Jong-seop/Minister of Defense: North Korea possesses a significant amount of nuclear material, and it is evaluated that it has continuously produced it over the past five years.] When
asked, 'How much has the amount of plutonium and uranium increased? It is limited, but I think it has increased by about 10%.”
He assessed that North Korea's preparations for the seventh nuclear test were mostly completed, adding that the timing of the nuclear test depends on Chairman Kim Jong-un's decision.
Defense diplomacy between South Korea and the United States to respond to North Korean provocations will also resume.
Minister Lee Jong-seop and U.S. Defense Secretary Austin, as well as senior South Korean and U.S. defense officials, will hold a meeting in Washington on the 29th.
After sharing an assessment of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, the two countries are expected to advance the working-level discussion of the Extended Deterrence Strategy Council as a follow-up measure to the agreement at the Korea-US summit in May.
An official from the Ministry of National Defense predicted that agendas such as the ROK-U.S. combined defense posture and South Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation would also be addressed.