Seoul, Feb 10: South Korea's no. 2 official said today that he believes North Korea does not possess nuclear weapons, contradicting U.S. assertions that the Communist nation has one or two atomic bombs. The comment by Prime Minister Kim Suk-Soo appeared to reflect differences in how South Korea and its main ally, the United States, view North Korea. Many South Koreans do not think their neighbor's nuclear development is a serious threat, while U.S. President George W. Bush has defined the North as part of an ``axis of evil'' intent on acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
In Tokyo, the top U.S. diplomat warned of a possible North Korean missile test over Japan in what could be an effort to ratchet up tension over the north's nuclear programs. North Korea alarmed the region by firing a rocket over Japan and into the Pacific in 1998.
``We hear reports that they may engage in a missile test, perhaps overflying the island of Japan,'' U.S. ambassador Howard H. Baker said during a speech at a forum on regional security. He cited unidentified sources, including news reports.
In comments in the South Korean national assembly, Kim said there was no evidence that North Korea had atomic bombs.
``North Korea is believed to have extracted enough plutonium to make one or two bombs before 1994,'' Kim said. ``Since there has been no confirmation that it actually has produced nuclear weapons, we believe that they do not have any.'' Bureau Report