North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme is developing beyond the international community’s ability to rein it in with effective sanctions and export restrictions, regional analysts and nuclear experts warned on Wednesday.
While opinion on the current level of the nuclear threat posed by North Korea was divided, a conference organised by the Asan Institute think-tank in Seoul showed consensus on the urgent need for new strategies to keep the threat in check.
Even as Pyongyang’s closest ally China announced an export ban to the North of technologies and goods with dual-use potential, experts questioned whether North Korea’s weapons programme hadn’t already moved beyond its earlier dependence on external equipment and know-how.
“They are not at the start of this process anymore. They’ve been at it a long time,” said Park Jiyoung, director of the Asan Institute’s Science and Technology Policy Centre.
It’s clearly likely that the North will try to go beyond its current nuclear capability
“It’s clearly likely that the North will try to go beyond its current nuclear capability ... (and) export controls can’t stop that development,” Park said.