This disclosure came from no less than CIA Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, John E. McLaughlin on 17 April 2001, during a lecture at the University of Texas. McLaughlin's lecture dwelt on the fundamental instability of North Korea and the certainty that it would cause problems for the region. He concluded with the idea that the United States would ultimately have to deal with North Korea one way or the other. More of consequence to India is the continued collaboration between the unstable, cash strapped North Korean regime and Pakistan, which happens to be yet another cash strapped, unstable regime. The Taepo Dong series of missiles continue to be sold to Pakistan as the seizure of a Pakistan bound ship last year proved.
More recent reports suggest that Pakistan has opened up yet another area of collaboration.
This is in the nuclear materials front. North Korea appears to be facing a shortage of raw material for its nuclear weapons programme. Most estimates suggest that North Korea would have fissile material for only one or two weapons. Pakistan too is short of fissile material and has been acquiring small quantities of all kinds of potential raw material ranging from yellow cake to spent fuel and pitchblende. Now both these countries have got together and appear to be jointly prospecting potential sources of nuclear weapons material.