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CNN Live At Daybreak
CIA: North Korean Missile Could Reach U.S.
Aired February 13, 2003 - 06:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: CIA Director George Tenet is the highest official to publicly say North Korea can hit the United States with a nuclear missile. An unclassified CIA document from December of 2001 says one type of missile may be able to hit Alaska, Hawaii and the West Coast.
Tenet was questioned at a Capitol Hill hearing -- listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: They've fired missiles over Japan. What is the likelihood that they currently have a missile capable of hitting the West Coast of the United States?
GEORGE TENET, CIA DIRECTOR: I think the declassified answer is yes, they can do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: We want to go live now to the Korean peninsula for more on this controversy. We want to go to the center of the controversy. Sohn Jie-Ae joins us now from Seoul, South Korea.
Good morning.
SOHN JIE-AE, CNN SEOUL BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
The reports coming out of the United States are talking about North Korea's Taepo Dong 3 missiles. It's a missile that hasn't been tested, but there has been a lot of concern in this region about North Korea's missile technology. In 1998, North Korea test-fired a missile over Japanese territory and sent shockwaves through the region.
Upon that testing, the U.S. and North Korea had entered an agreement, where North Korea agreed to a moratorium on further testing.
Now, in recent weeks and months with the nuclear standoff, North Korea has come out and said that it reserves the right to develop, sell and test more missiles. So, further testing of North Korea's missiles at this point is an option that you can't rule out at this point -- Carol.
COSTELLO: OK, just to make sure that we understood you correctly, I know that North Korea test-fired a missile over Japan, and that caused the Japanese people great concern. But now, you're saying that it could possibly test fire a missile and aim it towards the United States.
JIE-AE: Well, I'm not saying it's a possibility, but I'm saying that you just can't rule it out. As many people talk about the possible escalation of the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula, they're all saying that there needs to be a diplomatic resolution as quickly as possible. And within some of the worst-case scenarios, there is a possibility that North Korea will conduct a test of its missiles.
So, that is one possibility that you cannot at this point rule out -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And of course, this whole issue is going to the United Nations Security Council now, so we'll see what happens.
Sohn Jie-Ae reporting live from Seoul, South Korea this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired February 13, 2003 - 06:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: CIA Director George Tenet is the highest official to publicly say North Korea can hit the United States with a nuclear missile. An unclassified CIA document from December of 2001 says one type of missile may be able to hit Alaska, Hawaii and the West Coast.
Tenet was questioned at a Capitol Hill hearing -- listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: They've fired missiles over Japan. What is the likelihood that they currently have a missile capable of hitting the West Coast of the United States?
GEORGE TENET, CIA DIRECTOR: I think the declassified answer is yes, they can do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: We want to go live now to the Korean peninsula for more on this controversy. We want to go to the center of the controversy. Sohn Jie-Ae joins us now from Seoul, South Korea.
Good morning.
SOHN JIE-AE, CNN SEOUL BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
The reports coming out of the United States are talking about North Korea's Taepo Dong 3 missiles. It's a missile that hasn't been tested, but there has been a lot of concern in this region about North Korea's missile technology. In 1998, North Korea test-fired a missile over Japanese territory and sent shockwaves through the region.
Upon that testing, the U.S. and North Korea had entered an agreement, where North Korea agreed to a moratorium on further testing.
Now, in recent weeks and months with the nuclear standoff, North Korea has come out and said that it reserves the right to develop, sell and test more missiles. So, further testing of North Korea's missiles at this point is an option that you can't rule out at this point -- Carol.
COSTELLO: OK, just to make sure that we understood you correctly, I know that North Korea test-fired a missile over Japan, and that caused the Japanese people great concern. But now, you're saying that it could possibly test fire a missile and aim it towards the United States.
JIE-AE: Well, I'm not saying it's a possibility, but I'm saying that you just can't rule it out. As many people talk about the possible escalation of the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula, they're all saying that there needs to be a diplomatic resolution as quickly as possible. And within some of the worst-case scenarios, there is a possibility that North Korea will conduct a test of its missiles.
So, that is one possibility that you cannot at this point rule out -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And of course, this whole issue is going to the United Nations Security Council now, so we'll see what happens.
Sohn Jie-Ae reporting live from Seoul, South Korea this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
