In the wake of his historic summit with Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump declared North Korea was "no longer a nuclear threat" _ but more than a dozen U.S. officials poked holes in that assessment Friday, revealing the isolated Communist regime has actually been escalating its nuclear proliferation efforts in recent months.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity with NBC News, said a previously unreported intelligence assessment compiled by the CIA and other U.S. agencies concludes North Korea has ramped up production of fuel for nuclear weapons at several secret testing sites.
North Korea is trying to placate the president and get as many concessions as possible from the Trump administration while at the same time holding on to the nuclear stockpiles it considers essential to its longevity as a nation, according to the officials.
A White House spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment.
To Kim's appreciation, Trump ordered the U.S. military to cease joint military exercises with South Korea that have been carried for decades. Trump even called the exercises "war games," appeasing Kim once again.
The Kim regime has put an end to its aggressive missile and nuclear tests since it began engaging in diplomatic talks with the White House, and Trump has touted that as proof his administration's approach is effective.
But one of the U.S. officials countered that, while the tests have stopped, "there's no evidence that they are decreasing stockpiles, or that they have stopped their production."
"There is absolutely unequivocal evidence that they are trying to deceive the U.S.," the official said.
The latest intelligence assessment reportedly asserts U.S. agencies have at least two secret nuclear sites, in addition to Yongbyon, its main uranium enrichment plant.
