Marine Corps Times reports that “North Korea’s weapons capabilities have shown a ‘qualitative improvement’ in the past year, the No. 2 U.S. diplomat said Thursday.”

“Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with his counterparts from key U.S. allies Japan and South Korea, said the North conducted nuclear and missile tests with unprecedented intensity during 2016 and that the threat it poses grows by the day. The North Koreans learn from every single test, including failures, he said.”

“‘They apply what they have learned to their technology and to the next test, and in our assessment we have seen a qualitative improvement in their capabilities over the past year as a result of this unprecedented level of activity,’ Blinken told a news conference.”