US says North Korea is intent on enlarging nuclear weapons arsenal

NORTH KOREA may have built a second, secret facility for producing weapons-grade plutonium as part of efforts to enlarge its nuclear arsenal, US officials said on Saturday.

The disclosure, first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by US officials in Washington, could lead to an escalation in the festering diplomatic showdown between North Korea and the United States over Pyongyang’s atomic weapons program.

White House officials, while not confirming the report, insisted that Washington would continue to work with its allies in the region to press Pyongyang to reverse course.