Is North Korea really making U-turn on nukes?
- 6 years ago
We've come a long way in a short period of time in regards to North Korea.
Just a few months ago,... the regime was engaged in a fiery war of words with the U.S.... and regularly testing out its missile and nuclear capabilities.
However,... the North's announcement over the weekend has sparked a fresh wave of optimism -- hope that the stage could be set for true and lasting peace.
But has North Korea really come so far in terms of weapons development, just to fold at the last minute?
Our Won Jung-hwan takes a look back at what drove the North to nukes in the first place.
Since North Korea's first nuclear test in 2006, the regime has conducted five more tests,… in 2009, 2013, twice in 2016, and 2017,... all at its Punggye-ri Test site, some 600 kilometers northeast of Pyongyang.
The latest and the most successful was the sixth test in September last year,… producing a blast some ten times more powerful than the regime's previous detonations.
But why has North Korea been pursuing a nuclear weapons program for the past several decades?
Experts say developing a nuclear deterrent has been the most important means of maintaining the regime under the iron fist of the three-generation Kim family dictatorship.
"The regime says that first, North Korea's nuclear strength balances power with other countries, especially the U.S., which poses the biggest threat to Kim Jong-un's control. Second, some countries have been toppled for not developing nuclear weapons. Finally, the North doesn't trust anybody... so that's why they chose to protect themselves with a nuclear arsenal."
But as the regime insisted on forging ahead with its nuclear development under the guise of survival,... it began to face a huge international dilemma.
Perhaps the starkest example is the intense sanctions pressure that has been applied since the regime's fifth nuclear test in 2016.
Apparently fed up with its long-time ally's destabilizing actions, China -- also the North's largest trading partner by far -- joined the international sanctions with the U.S., South Korea, Japan and other members of the international community.
So possessing nuclear weapons has prolonged the regime's survival, but in the process has made North Korea a pariah state.
So where does this leave Pyongyang?
According to a retired South Korean general,… the North has reached the point where it has to choose a path.
"When we look at past attempts,… it's clear the old carrot-and-stick approach against North Korea's nuclear program has been a failure. However, the recent uptick in sanctions and other pressure has made the regime realize that, by continuing the development of its nuclear capability, the regime's grip on power will remain dangerously unstable."
Ahead of its summit with South Korea on Friday, Pyongyang has been expressing its willingness to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
And just last weekend,... Kim Jong-un made the surprise announcement that the regime will suspend nu
Just a few months ago,... the regime was engaged in a fiery war of words with the U.S.... and regularly testing out its missile and nuclear capabilities.
However,... the North's announcement over the weekend has sparked a fresh wave of optimism -- hope that the stage could be set for true and lasting peace.
But has North Korea really come so far in terms of weapons development, just to fold at the last minute?
Our Won Jung-hwan takes a look back at what drove the North to nukes in the first place.
Since North Korea's first nuclear test in 2006, the regime has conducted five more tests,… in 2009, 2013, twice in 2016, and 2017,... all at its Punggye-ri Test site, some 600 kilometers northeast of Pyongyang.
The latest and the most successful was the sixth test in September last year,… producing a blast some ten times more powerful than the regime's previous detonations.
But why has North Korea been pursuing a nuclear weapons program for the past several decades?
Experts say developing a nuclear deterrent has been the most important means of maintaining the regime under the iron fist of the three-generation Kim family dictatorship.
"The regime says that first, North Korea's nuclear strength balances power with other countries, especially the U.S., which poses the biggest threat to Kim Jong-un's control. Second, some countries have been toppled for not developing nuclear weapons. Finally, the North doesn't trust anybody... so that's why they chose to protect themselves with a nuclear arsenal."
But as the regime insisted on forging ahead with its nuclear development under the guise of survival,... it began to face a huge international dilemma.
Perhaps the starkest example is the intense sanctions pressure that has been applied since the regime's fifth nuclear test in 2016.
Apparently fed up with its long-time ally's destabilizing actions, China -- also the North's largest trading partner by far -- joined the international sanctions with the U.S., South Korea, Japan and other members of the international community.
So possessing nuclear weapons has prolonged the regime's survival, but in the process has made North Korea a pariah state.
So where does this leave Pyongyang?
According to a retired South Korean general,… the North has reached the point where it has to choose a path.
"When we look at past attempts,… it's clear the old carrot-and-stick approach against North Korea's nuclear program has been a failure. However, the recent uptick in sanctions and other pressure has made the regime realize that, by continuing the development of its nuclear capability, the regime's grip on power will remain dangerously unstable."
Ahead of its summit with South Korea on Friday, Pyongyang has been expressing its willingness to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
And just last weekend,... Kim Jong-un made the surprise announcement that the regime will suspend nu