| Speculation from unnamed government sources, so use a lot of salt. |
"2012 is an auspicious year from the North Korean point of view," the paper quoted the unnamed official as saying. "It's an election year in the U.S. and an election year in South Korea. And the North Koreans have publicly declared their desire to be a fully functional nuclear weapons state by 2012."
The U.S. believes the North can conduct a third nuclear test anytime but considers next year the most suitable time.