N Korea Could Have 100 Nuclear Weapons by 2020 - Albright

North Korea could greatly boost its nuclear capabilities in the next five years, a US think tank warned in its latest report, adding that the secretive Asian nation could have as many as 100 nuclear weapons by 2020.

Pyongyang is believed to have as many as 16 nuclear weapons already built with weapons-grade uranium and plutonium, according to the US-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS).

In what they described as the worst-case scenario, the country will advance its covert nuclear program, not only producing more weapons but also increasing their destructive capabilities and succeeding in miniaturizing nuclear warheads. "North Korea's nuclear weapons would likely become more sophisticated across the board … as underground tests continue and the North's nuclear weapons experience matures and grows," ISIS said in the report.

This forecast is based on an assumption that North Korea has two centrifuge plants, according to non-proliferation expert David Albright, who heads ISIS.

One plant is located at Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center, a major nuclear facility 60 miles north of Pyongyang. Albright told Yonhap news agency that North Korean defectors named three places, where the second centrifuge plant might be located. This information has not yet been independently verified.

David Albright @ISISNuclear explains method of estimating & projecting #NorthKorea's nuclear arsenal http://t.co/yZPehWKbBn #NKNuclearFuture

— 38 North (@38NorthNK) 27 февраля 2015

The Obama administration is so focused on signing a comprehensive deal with Iran on its nuclear efforts that it does not have any energy left to deal with North Korea's nuclear program, Albright added, calling it a "tragedy".