This April 15, 2012 satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe shows a parade held to mark the 100th anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s birthday in Pyongyang, North Korea. The parade can be seen from the top left center of the image frame as it makes it way toward Kim Il Sung Square, seen in the lower right hand corner of the frame, where a large formation of people in red and gold clothing spell out in Korean the characters for the word “glory”. The parade culminated with the unveiling of a new long-range missile, though it’s not clear how powerful or significant the addition to the North Korean arsenal is. Some analysts suggested it might have been a dummy designed to dupe outside observers. At right is the Taedong River. (AP Photo/DigitalGlobe)JEAN H. LEE
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) – North Korea is armed with “powerful modern weapons” capable of defeating the United States, a top military chief in Pyongyang said Wednesday, a claim that matches the country’s regular rhetoric but is questioned by experts.
The comments by Vice Marshal Ri Yong Ho at a meeting marking the 80th anniversary of the army’s founding came amid increased speculation abroad about the nation’s missile arsenal and nuclear ambitions.
Washington worries about the possibility that North Korea might develop a reliable intercontinental ballistic missile and a nuclear bomb small enough to use as a payload.
But outside experts believe that is still a long way off.