South Korean defence report calls North Korea serious threat

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea's Defense Ministry called North Korea a serious threat in a new report Friday, saying it is believed to have about 50 kilograms of plutonium, enough for up to seven nuclear weapons. The report also said the North is believed to be capable of producing biological weapons, including anthrax, and possesses up to 5,000 tons of toxic agents at many facilities.

The report described North Korea "as a serious threat, considering the serious nature of its nuclear test and threat of weapons of mass destruction," the ministry said in a statement.

North Korea stoked regional tensions in October by conducting its first nuclear weapons test, drawing U.N. sanctions and global condemnation.

Last year, North Korea pledged to dismantle its nuclear program in exchange for security guarantees and aid, but no progress has been made in implementing the agreement because of U.S. financial restrictions imposed on the communist regime for its alleged money laundering and counterfeiting.

During nuclear talks last week, North Korean renewed its insistence that the U.S. lift the sanctions before it would move ahead on nuclear disarmament.

The report said North Korea has the capability of launching a surprise attack against South Korea without repositioning its troops because it deploys about 70 per cent of its ground forces south of Pyongyang, its capital.

About 29,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against the North, the legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.

© The Canadian Press, 2006