Don’t fall for Kim Jong-un’s ‘trap’ by offering concessions with nothing in return, former South Korea foreign minister warns
Yun Byung-se says without meaningful action to freeze nuclear programme North Korea’s recent comments could be a tactic to buy his regime more time
The international community should not fall into a familiar North Korean trap of making concessions without getting anything in return, a former South Korean foreign minister has warned.
Yun Byung-se said Kim Jong-un’s recent comments on his visit to China, including support for a denuclearised Korean peninsula, could be a tactic to buy his despotic regime more time ahead of his planned summits with his counterparts in Seoul and Washington in the coming weeks.
Kim has not committed to freezing his nuclear weapons programme, but has indicated his willingness to touch on the subject of denuclearisation in the upcoming meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in next month and US President Donald Trump by May.
However, according to Jane’s Intelligence Review, North Korea has begun testing an experimental light water reactor and may bring another reactor online at its Yongbyon Nuclear Research Centre.
“This is a trap. Instead of wishful thinking, we should tread very cautiously. At least we should seek some kind of pledges from Kim Jong-un about his intention to translate his rhetoric into actions,” Yun said.