CIA Director Mike Pompeo warned on Tuesday that North Korea is intent on developing a reliable arsenal of nuclear weapons to threaten America, not just "a showpiece" to preserve Kim Jong Un's regime.
"Kim Jong Un will not rest with a single successful test," Pompeo said in a speech at the American Enterprise Institute, according to AFP.
"The logical next step would be to develop an arsenal of weapons that is not one, not a showpiece, not something to drive on a parade route," he added.
The North Korean leader seeks "the capacity to deliver from multiple firings of these missiles simultaneously," said Pompeo.
Moreover, he said, the CIA believes North Korea wants to go beyond just being a theoretical threat -- where it is now -- to one with certainty.
"He is trying to put in our mind the reality that he can deliver that pain to the USA. And our mission is to make the day that he can do that as far off as possible," said Pompeo, who added that the goal for Kim is not simply to protect his autocratic regime.
"We do believe that Kim Jong-Un, given these tool sets, would use them for things besides simply regime protection," he said, pointing to Kim's ultimate goal as "reunification on the peninsula under his authority." READ MORE
