The Briefing Room
General Category => World News => Topic started by: TomSea on January 17, 2020, 12:28:54 pm
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Excerpted:
North Korea’s strategy shift to ‘wipe out’ the South
High-ranking defector Thae Yong-ho warns of dangerous signs
(https://pds.joins.com/jmnet/koreajoongangdaily/_data/photo/2020/01/14193201.jpg)
Thae Yong-ho, former North Korean deputy ambassador to London who defected from North Korea to South Korea in 2016, is interviewed by the JoongAng Ilbo in Seoul on Dec. 27. [JANG JIN-YOUNG]
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Q. Why did Kim skip his New Year’s speech?
A. In North Korea, a New Year’s address from the regime’s supreme leader is designed to provide hope to its people. But there was no good news to deliver, and that’s probably why he replaced the speech with a plenary meeting briefing.
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Kim hinted at a new strategic weapon. What is your take on this?
I assume it’s a new strategic submarine topped with a nuclear-tipped submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). North Korea released an image of Kim inspecting a new submarine at the country’s Sinpo naval base on July 23 last year. It’s a worrisome development. An SLBM is hard to detect and can fly far enough to reach the United States. However I doubt that the United States will react strongly. Since there were no missiles launched, the United States will not impose additional sanctions against Pyongyang. The relationship is likely to remain in a stalemate - just like last year - without any negotiations or compromises.
Read more at: http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=3072609 (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=3072609)
The "wipe out" phrase indeed, is a few paragraphs down in the article. Not a comforting article and the former diplomat seems to indicate that there will be no more summits with Kim until after the election.
During the prelude to the Iraq war, a former aide to Saddam may have given us false information. So, with this Korean diplomat, it's still just his opinion though, he is obviously very well informed and should be listened to.