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DPRK have been trying to build cascade centrifuges without success. May have a program but no chance they have any nuclear capability. Cannot even keep cars and trucks on the road, army marches in plimsolls because it has no boots. Troops have no ammo. Make pre-stressed concrete beams by filling trenches with concrete and throwing in steel rods.

I have been there twice. Their industry is primitive and anything they had was Russian / Chinese. Now they have few friends apart from Ukraine / Russian satellite mafia selling them duff equipment etc.,

Best sources of supply to them are Swedes (Ericsson telephony)and French - biggest overseas market for French (especially vintage) cognac in world. Swiss agir chemicals pulled out years ago because of no payment - hence agri problems, no pesticides, fertilisers etc., Called in Dutch for help but they wanted $ up front not forthcoming.

What they do have is oil off the West Coast - see Meridian oil. V secure internal comms. They have own fibreoptics plant, courtesy UK.

Asahi in Japanese tonight states that with the frozen (in principle) North Korean nuke program, the Yangbyon facility was stopped in it's tracks. If construction continued, it surmises, then N. Korea would have enough plutonium producing capability to manufacture nearly 50 nuclear weapons per year.

The question is, now, if that production was never shut down and was shifted to another location, just how much production capability do they have? Are these empty threats? It has been said in congressional committee that N. Korea is also suspected of illegal, underground importation of plutonium from Russia, and that it could have engaged in illegal export itself.