WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- North Korea is believed to have developed the technology to rocket-mount miniaturized nuclear weapons, according to a top military official.

U.S. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of U.S. forces on the Korean peninsula, told reporters despite the nation's famous struggles to mount a nuclear warhead on a working missile, North Korea can now make a miniaturized warhead capable of attaching to a long-range ballistic missile.


"I believe they have the capability to miniaturize a device at this point and they have the technology to actually deliver what they say they have," Scaparrotti said in press conference Friday.

More than just technological advancement, North Korea's potential growth in military strength reflects years of successful geopolitical positioning on behalf of the notoriously self-isolated nation.

"They have proliferation, relationships with other countries, Iran and Pakistan in particular."

Asked about the brief disappearance of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Scaparotti chalked it up to an unknown health issue, but reassured reporters the dictator "is clearly in control of the country."