After the reclusive Asian Communist state conducted its fifth and most successful nuclear test last week, it appeared that North Korea has a pretty good source of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium. What is particularly disturbing is that experts believe North Korea is now capable of producing about 6 fully-functioning nuclear weapons every year.

Weapons experts have been studying North Korea's nuclear program for quite a while now, and though specific numbers could not be verified, the consensus among experts is that the Communist state is continuing its development of its nuclear program, and it is getting better at it.

Thus, speculations among weapons experts state that North Korea currently produces about 150 kilograms worth of highly enriched uranium every year. This estimate came from Siegfried Hecker, a respected weapons analyst and a leading expert on the Communist state's ongoing nuclear development program.

What's even more disturbing is the fact that Hecker actually went to North Korea's main Yongbin nuclear facility six years ago. During his visit, Hecker was given a tour of a two-story building located in the Yongbyon complex.

Hecker related that he was shown a room with about 2,000 centrifuges by a North Korean engineer. Apart from this, the weapons analyst was also shown an advanced control room, which Hecker stated was very modern.

According to Hecker, North Korea currently has about 32 to 54 kilograms of plutonium stockpile, and together with its consistent uranium reserves, he estimates that the reclusive Asian Communist state would have enough material to create as much as 20 nuclear bombs by the end of the year.

North Korea has been a wild card among Asian nations lately, initiating nuclear tests left and right and threatening other countries consistently. In fact, if the words of a high-ranking North Korean diplomat could be taken very seriously, North Korea has already declared war on the United States.

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