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?
Won Jung-hwan reports.
Ahead of its historic summit with South Korea on Friday, Pyongyang has been expressing its willingness to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
And just last weekend,... North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made the surprise announcement that the regime will suspend nuclear and missile tests and shut down a nuclear test site in the country's northeast.
North Korea says it reached the decision because they've attained their goal of a fully developed nuclear program.
There's a feeling in the South that the nuclear freeze announcement could be the precursor to further agenda items that can be brought up at the summit.
"Although the summit won't be able to resolve all the issues at once,… if it is treated as a stepping stone towards restoring South-North Korea ties,… it could get the ball rolling towards the eventual denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
Nevertheless, experts say Pyongyang's recent announcement is far from a solid commitment to completely abandon its nuclear arsenal.
"Nuclear weapons were developed to prolong the regime's survival and to maintain control,… and I think this concept of existence will continue. Also, it won't be easy to completely denuclearize North Korea, considering the knowhow they've built up and the time it will take."
"North Korea's nuclear capability has grown significantly over the years. North Korea said they already have pre-emptive missile strike capability, and missiles powerful enough to reach the U.S. mainland. They've also shown they would be willing to go nuclear... if a war were to break out."
North Korea has conducted a total of SIX nuclear tests, starting with its first in 2006,... all held at its Punggye-ri test site, some 600 kilometers northeast of Pyongyang.
And as to WHY North Korea announced such an unprecedented step less than a week before Friday's summit,... a retired South Korean general says the regime has reached the point where it's difficult to maintain control.
"The intense sanctions pressure that has been applied since the regime's fifth nuclear test in 2016 is different from the past sanctions against North Korea. Also, with the North's largest trading partner by far,… China, joining the sanctions with the U.S., South Korea, Japan and other members of the international community, Pyongyang has been forced into a corner."
For the past couple of decades,... developing a nuclear deterrent has been the most important means of maintaining the regi
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?
Won Jung-hwan reports.
Ahead of its historic summit with South Korea on Friday, Pyongyang has been expressing its willingness to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
And just last weekend,... North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made the surprise announcement that the regime will suspend nuclear and missile tests and shut down a nuclear test site in the country's northeast.
North Korea says it reached the decision because they've attained their goal of a fully developed nuclear program.
There's a feeling in the South that the nuclear freeze announcement could be the precursor to further agenda items that can be brought up at the summit.
"Although the summit won't be able to resolve all the issues at once,… if it is treated as a stepping stone towards restoring South-North Korea ties,… it could get the ball rolling towards the eventual denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
Nevertheless, experts say Pyongyang's recent announcement is far from a solid commitment to completely abandon its nuclear arsenal.
"Nuclear weapons were developed to prolong the regime's survival and to maintain control,… and I think this concept of existence will continue. Also, it won't be easy to completely denuclearize North Korea, considering the knowhow they've built up and the time it will take."
"North Korea's nuclear capability has grown significantly over the years. North Korea said they already have pre-emptive missile strike capability, and missiles powerful enough to reach the U.S. mainland. They've also shown they would be willing to go nuclear... if a war were to break out."
North Korea has conducted a total of SIX nuclear tests, starting with its first in 2006,... all held at its Punggye-ri test site, some 600 kilometers northeast of Pyongyang.
And as to WHY North Korea announced such an unprecedented step less than a week before Friday's summit,... a retired South Korean general says the regime has reached the point where it's difficult to maintain control.
"The intense sanctions pressure that has been applied since the regime's fifth nuclear test in 2016 is different from the past sanctions against North Korea. Also, with the North's largest trading partner by far,… China, joining the sanctions with the U.S., South Korea, Japan and other members of the international community, Pyongyang has been forced into a corner."
For the past couple of decades,... developing a nuclear deterrent has been the most important means of maintaining the regi