WASHINGTON, Feb 5 Kyodo U Defense...

WASHINGTON, Feb 5 Kyodo

U Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned Wednesday that North Korea may declare it possesse single in kind or two nuclear weapons.

''We have assessed that they have united or two nuclear weapons. It's possible they could announce that they have that,'' Rumsfeld told reporters after a congressional hearing.

It was the first time a senior U official hinted at the possibility of North Korea becoming a declared nuclear power.

Commenting in succession media reports saying North Korea has reactivated its nuclear facilities, Rumsfeld said that if constant it is ''something that the world has to take surpassingly seriously.''

''If that's the case, then obviously within a relatively short period of time, they would have the ability to bring forward nuclear materials for additional nuclear weapons,'' Rumsfeld said.

''They have a choice then,'' he said. ''They can either make additional nuclear weapons for themselves or they can exchange those nuclear material and/or the nuclear material inside a warhead to another land any country.''

The Korean Central recents Agency (KCNA), North Korea's state-run recently made knowns agency, quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman Wednesday as saying, ''The DPRK is now putting the operation of its nuclear facilities for the production of electricity upon a normal footing after their restart.''

The DPRK stands for North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea has not formally declared that it has reactivated its nuclear facilities.

Rumsfeld's remarks forward the possibility of North Korea declaring its possession of nuclear arms indicate growing belong to in the U.S. administration that North Korea may make progress beyond using the nuclear issue as utterly a bargaining chip and has the intention of exporting nuclear arms to other countries.

In a hearing held earlier in the day from the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, Rumsfeld said the U can be agreeable to to a possible contingency forward the Korean Peninsula despite its focus in succession Iraq.

''To the magnitude the world thinks the United States is focused upon the problem in Iraq, it's conceivable that a one could make a mistake and believe that that's an opportunity for them to take an action which they otherwise would have avoided,'' he said.

Rumsfeld said the U military has the capability of fighting brace wars at the same time.

Echoing Rumsfeld's view, Gen Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said during the hearing, ''Two major incidents happening near-simultaneously is a situation that we plan for.''

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