Asked by the U.S. broadcaster’s reporter Bob Woodruff if North Korea had nuclear weapons, Kim responded, "We do have," and asked if it was making more said yes. But he would not say how many warheads the reclusive country has. "I should say that we have enough nuclear bombs to defend against a U.S. attack. As for specifically how many we have, that is a secret."

Woodruff pointed out that because North Korea has yet to conduct a nuclear test, analysts are uncertain whether the country has any nuclear warheads at all.

Kim also refused to say whether Pyongyang has missiles that can hit the U.S. mainland, saying, "I think I've said our nuclear program is not aimed at attacking the U.S." Asked whether North Korea has the technology to put nuclear warheads on long-range missiles, Kim merely said, "I want you to know that our scientists have the knowledge, comparable to other scientists around the world."

(englishnews@chosun.com )