Trump deceived himself, Kim Jong-un kept his promise.

Is North Korea still secretly producing nuclear weapons?

According toDaily BeastFive months after U.S. President Donald Trump declared the North Korean nuclear crisis over, Pyongyang may still be secretly developing new nuclear weapons. Specifically, North Korea appears to be producing more nuclear warheads and missiles capable of carrying them in secret facilities across the country.

A report released on November 12 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) stated that, based on images captured by commercial satellites, information from defectors, and government officials, North Korea has 13 missile sites. In addition, North Korea has seven other secret sites that are well-concealed.

When asked about the aforementioned CSIS report, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department declined to comment.

Daryl Kimball, a nuclear expert at the Arms Control Association in Washington, said: “At these sites and elsewhere, North Korea continues to improve its nuclear materials, enhance its ballistic missile capabilities, and may be producing more nuclear warheads.”

The New York Times described the existence of missile facilities as a "big deception" by North Korea. However, several experts told the Daily Beast that this view is completely wrong.

Experts believe that, in fact, North Korea is doing exactly what it promised to do, and Pyongyang never promised to stop developing its nuclear arsenal. "There is no agreement between the U.S. and North Korea on nuclear disarmament," Kimball pointed out.

Going back more than a year, to July 2017, North Korea conducted its first test of a long-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and reaching the US mainland. Two months later, in September 2017, North Korea carried out its sixth nuclear test. At that time, US Defense Secretary James Mattis warned of the possibility of a "major military response."

After more than a year of escalating tensions, in early 2018, the leaders of the United States and North Korea agreed to meet. As a "prelude" to a "new spring," North Korea released American hostages, and immediately after the historic US-North Korea summit in Singapore in June 2018, President Trump decided to halt the large-scale annual US-South Korea military exercises that had been planned in advance.

Returning from Singapore, Mr. Trump enthusiastically declared to reporters that the nuclear issue had been resolved. "I've resolved it. Most of it is resolved," Mr. Trump said.

Trump is deceiving himself, but Kim Jong-un hasn't broken his promise?

North Korea has stopped launching long-range missiles and has not conducted further nuclear tests, but according to Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, this is not the result of anything Trump did or Pyongyang being threatened.

“Earlier this year, in a speech, Kim Jong-un made it clear that North Korea had completed the nuclear and missile research and development phase. Now they will move on to what Kim calls the ‘mass production’ phase,” Lewis told the Daily Beast.

According to the Daily Beast, the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore in June was a positive sign but did not address the root of the problem. The reality is that the two sides did not have a real plan to end North Korea's nuclear weapons production and destroy its current arsenal, estimated at around 50 warheads.

"There is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea," Trump declared victory shortly after returning from Singapore.

Analysts suggest that if this announcement by the US leader wasn't a lie, it reflects a deep misunderstanding of part of Kim Jong-un's plan and commitment. The North Korean leader never agreed to abandon his nuclear program, and therefore Pyongyang's continued production of nuclear warheads and missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads is "not surprising."

"Kim Jong-un didn't deceive anyone. Perhaps it was Trump who deceived himself," Lewis stated.

According to Kimball, there is still a chance for the US and North Korea to resolve the issue if the North Korean leader genuinely desires to officially end the state of war on the Korean Peninsula with a peace treaty, and this is in the hands of the US.

"That wouldn't cost us anything," Kimball said, despite warnings from some analysts that a peace treaty would also mean requiring the U.S. to withdraw tens of thousands of troops from the Korean Peninsula.

“North Korea has demanded and called for reciprocal steps from the U.S. to end hostilities. However, they have not received what they desired, and therefore Pyongyang will continue to improve what it sees as possible to enhance its defense capabilities,” Kimball concluded.