North Korea’s former acting ambassador to Kuwait, Ryu Hyeon-woo, believes that Kim Jong Un will not be willing to give up his nuclear arsenal completely, but may be open to negotiating an arms reduction plan in exchange for relief from the international sanctions that have been stifling the growth of North Korea’s economy.
In his first interview since his defection to South Korea, the former diplomat told CNN that negotiations have reached an impasse because the United States (US) has been demanding complete denuclearisation but Kim “cannot denuclearise”. This may be attributed to the Supreme Leader’s belief that nuclear weapons are “key” to his survival and the belief that North Korea’s status as a nuclear power “is directly linked to the stability of the regime”.
Ryu’s comments came after the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on January 18 that North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly unanimously passed a decision during the Workers’ Party congress to support Kim’s plans to boost the country’s nuclear capabilities as an international deterrent. The Assembly also formalised development plans for the next five years to save the country’s economy, which has suffered a significant blow from the COVID pandemic and the tightening of international sanctions.
During the congress, Kim reportedly called for “accelerated national efforts” to “build a military arsenal”. In this regard, he announced a “long wish-list” of sophisticated military equipment that included “longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-powered submarines, spy satellites, and tactical nuclear weapons”. Just ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony, the hermit kingdom also held a huge military parade, wherein “a developmental ballistic missile designed for launch from submarines” was showcased and described to be the “world’s most powerful weapon”.
The US has been consistently ramping up pressure on North Korea to denuclearise. Last September, the US Treasury Department, and Commerce Department jointly issued a 19-page advisory titled “North Korea Ballistic Missile Procurement Advisory”, which threatened United Nations (UN) and US sanctions on those found to be aiding North Korea’s procurement of equipment and materials for its nuclear and missile development programs. Hinting at following a similar pressure tactic, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last Tuesday that the new administration intends on reviewing the US’ engagement with North Korea and would look at ways to increase pressure on the country to renegotiate its nuclear weapons program.
In light of these measures, Ryu said, “The current sanctions on North Korea are unprecedented and strong…I think sanctions against North Korea should continue.” In addition, he also added that it was important not to ignore the “sensitive and serious” issue of human rights, which is a “matter of morality” in North Korea, but was unfortunately sidelined during negotiations with the Trump administration that only focused on denuclearisation.
Due to the severe violations of human rights in the country, defections are fairly regular. Moreover, they are considered a “major embarrassment” to the North Korean regime and are “not taken lightly” and those who fail to successfully escape are subjected to cruel abuse. Despite this, Ryu is among the many high-profile North Korean officials to have defected in recent years. Although he has been living in South Korea with his family since September 2019, the diplomat’s defection was made public only last week. A few weeks prior to Ryu’s defection, another top diplomat in Italy, Jo Song Gil, also fled to South Korea. Preceding this, in 2016, Thae Yong-ho, the former deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom defected to South Korea as well and has since been elected to the South’s National Assembly.
Former North Korean Diplomat Says Kim Jong-Un Will Not Denuclearise
North Korea’s former acting ambassador to Kuwait believes Kim Jong Un may only be willing to negotiate arms reduction in exchange for relief from the international sanctions.
February 2, 2021
SOURCE: REUTERS