North Korea Ramps Up Nuclear Readiness

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says his country’s nuclear weapons should be ready for use “at any time.” State media reports he has told military leaders that North Korea’s military posture would be revised to be ready to launch pre-emptive strikes.

This is the latest blast of nuclear rhetoric from Kim, but it’s not totally clear how advanced North Korea’s nuclear weapons program really is. Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd asks security analyst Jim Walsh about that and what this new declaration from Kim really signifies.

Guest

• Jim Walsh, Here & Now security analyst and a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Security Studies Program. He tweets @DrJimWalshMIT.

Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.