US CIA forms special unit to deal with N Korea's nuclear weapons threat

US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has formed a special unit dedicated to assessing North Korea's nuclear weapons threat. The CIA created its first single country-focused mission center, pulling together resources from a range of units to collect and analyze information on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missile technology that could extend its military threat across the



Pacific. 

The move comes as North Korea appears poised to undertake its sixth nuclear test, a move that would exacerbate jitters across East Asia. The US has not ruled out a military strike to prevent Pyongyang from advancing its nuclear capabilities.

In 2015, the CIA created 10 mission centers in a modernization effort to break down the "stove-piping" of its different operations.