A South Korean official who spoke to Yonhap on the condition of anonymity said the president is looking at the bigger picture, which includes difficulties for the regime under global sanctions, increasing public opposition to Pyongyang’s mass mobilization movements and the defection of elites.
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On Monday, North Korea claimed that it was prepared to launch a preemptive nuclear strike to prevent the 12-day Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) war games.
“Recently even North Korea’s elite group is collapsing, followed by key figures defecting to foreign countries, showing a sign of serious cracks, with chances of shaking the regime further”, she told a National Security Council meeting.
The annual drill will include 25,000 US troops, the bulk of which are already stationed in Korea, according to a statement by US Forces Korea. The order was considered part of the North’s response to the annual military drills between the US and South Korea.
High-level defections pointed to cracks in the Kim regime, South Korean President Park Geun Hye said yesterday. The think tank’s report is in line with a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday outlining its latest assertion that North Korea had resumed its reprocessing activities.
“It is an annual exercise”. Officials said that the exercises are likely to make North Korea “more aggressive” at a time when tensions have been high. “That is certainly something we would welcome”.
The defections were “bound to happen as Kim Jong Un began killing his generals”, Lankov said of the reported purges of top party officials including the execution of Kim’s uncle.
Making note the IAEA’s assessment, South Korea’s foreign ministry said Tuesday it strongly condemns North Korea’s nuclear development, reiterating that it goes strictly against worldwide security, peace and the global commitment to nonproliferation.
But Cha noted a few differences this time around, including the fallout from “a very embarrassing high-level defection” and North Korea’s desire to try to gain leverage amid the upcoming United States presidential elections. The secretive nature of North Korea and its nuclear program mean that experts are not entirely sure how well developed Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons are.
Pyongyang has also not stopped denouncing the joint military exercises that began on Monday.
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When asked if the US was concerned about the increase is hostile rhetoric out of Pyongyang, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner answered, “There is always concern, but I don’t think that is going to keep us from moving forward”.
