Seoul, South Korea: Is North Korea The rival is preparing to deploy strategic nuclear weapons along its tense border with South Korea, which is only a short drive away from the 26 million people living nearby solcapital of?
That’s what many experts note this week at a high-profile North Korean military meeting. Possible deployment, exactly two months after the leader’s threat Kim Jong Un The use of nuclear weapons already would be a major development in the decades-long standoff on the Korean peninsula.
North Korea already has thousands of conventional weapons aimed at South Korea and the roughly 30,000 US forces stationed there, but taking its short-range nuclear missiles to the range will be the clearest sign yet that Kim is using his nuclear weapons. To threaten both. Securing concessions from South Korea and external nuclear negotiators.
With North Korea clear preparations for its first nuclear test in five years, there is deep suspicion among observers that diplomacy can convince the country to give up its nuclear. Critics are calling on Seoul and Washington to develop a new approach to dealing with North Korea’s rapidly improving nuclear program.
Here’s a look at Kim’s recent nuclear moves.
Nuclear weapons on the border?
During a military meeting that ended on Thursday, Kim and other senior officials confirmed additional “operational duties” and “revised operational plans” for military units near the border with South Korea.
State media did not directly mention nuclear weapons. But outside experts believe that North Korea’s ambiguous language signals its intention to forward-deploy strategic nuclear weapons systems. They build on North Korea’s recent public comments about such plans and the testing of short-range nuclear-capable missiles designed to strike strategic facilities in South Korea, including US military bases.
A major sign came in April, when North Korea tested a newly developed guided weapon it said would improve efficient handling of “tactical nuclear” and boost the firepower of front-line artillery units. Later that month, Kim said he could already use his nuclear program if provoked.
Kim Yeol Soo, an expert at South Korea’s Korea Institute for Military Affairs, said North Korea now has “very high chances of using its strategic nuclear weapons on the battlefield” if war breaks out on the Korean peninsula.
The weapons deployed along the border are some of the more mobile, solid-fuel, short-range missiles that North Korea has test-launched since the collapse of nuclear diplomacy with the United States in 2019. North Korea has called those missiles – which foreign experts say are potentially capable of evading South Korean and US missile defenses – “tactical” weapons, which means equipping them with low-yield nuclear weapons. Is.
North Korea has already acquired the technology to nuclear weapons of its missiles, so the deployment of strategic nuclear weapons can happen at any time. kim taewooformer head of state funded Korean Institute for National Integration in Seoul.
However, some experts say North Korea cannot deploy nuclear-armed missiles because of potential problems maintaining them.
Will South Korea respond by deploying nuclear weapons?
North Korea’s apparent push to deploy strategic nuclear weapons may be part of Kim’s recent pledge to counter the United States’ “power of force” amid stalled nuclear diplomacy. It also comes as Washington and Seoul work to strengthen their joint defense capabilities to counter North Korean nuclear threats.
South Korea’s new conservative government, which took office last month, has said it will expand its conventional weapons capabilities and strengthen its defense together with the United States.
While Korea has avoided major conflict since the end of the 1950–53 Korean War, there have been deadly clashes and attacks in recent years that have killed dozens.
North Korea has a history of escalating threats and provocations when a new government is inaugurated in South Korea or the United States to create a potentially conducive environment for future talks. The country has often reduced its rhetoric and launched flashy offensives.
This time it might happen.
But nuclear weapons on the front lines will complicate how South Korea will respond to any future provocation by North Korea.
new president of south korea eun suk yeoliDuring a summit with the US President Joe Biden Last month, it secured a US commitment on the regional deployment of US strategic assets such as long-range bombers and aircraft carriers in response to provocations by North Korea.
The allies may also hold their largest joint military training in years in August.
But Yoon has said he will not pursue nuclear development or ask the United States to redeploy nuclear weapons to South Korea as a deterrent against a possible invasion by North Korea.
The South Korean military said it was closely monitoring North Korean activities on a possible move to deploy strategic nuclear weapons, but did not elaborate.
Some experts say that North Korea’s expansion of strategic nuclear weapons and the pursuit of long-range missiles capable of reaching the US mainland have undermined the credibility of America’s “nuclear umbrella”, although the Biden administration did not support South Korea. has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to protect Full range of military capabilities.
There are also calls for the resumption of US nuclear weapons in South Korea.
“We must switch to a strategy to eliminate North Korea’s nuclear threats through nuclear balancing,” said Kim Taewoo, former head of the Korean Institute for National Unification. The deployment of strategic nuclear weapons means that we will face a nuclear threat from North Korea.
What will happen next?
Strategic nuclear weapons were part of Kim Jong Un’s five-year weapons development plan announced last year. He has ramped up ballistic missile testing this year at an unprecedented pace to boost his country’s ability to strike both the US mainland and South Korea.
For weeks, US and South Korean officials have signaled an impending nuclear test by North Korea, which would be the first and seventh total since 2017. Such a test could be part of an effort to build a warhead that could fit strategic missiles or multi-combat missiles.
But North Korea has yet to conduct such testing, possibly because of its ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and protests by China, its last major ally and largest aid provider.
North Korea has so far rejected the Biden administration’s proposals for open-ended talks, calling on Washington to drop its “hostile policy”, a term it uses to deal with US-led economic sanctions and the United States. In the context of South Korean military exercises.
Experts say it is only a matter of time before North Korea conducts a nuclear test, which is seen as a necessary step under Kim’s five-year plan to increase its nuclear arsenal. Such a test is likely to push for the resumption of nuclear diplomacy.
That’s what many experts note this week at a high-profile North Korean military meeting. Possible deployment, exactly two months after the leader’s threat Kim Jong Un The use of nuclear weapons already would be a major development in the decades-long standoff on the Korean peninsula.
North Korea already has thousands of conventional weapons aimed at South Korea and the roughly 30,000 US forces stationed there, but taking its short-range nuclear missiles to the range will be the clearest sign yet that Kim is using his nuclear weapons. To threaten both. Securing concessions from South Korea and external nuclear negotiators.
With North Korea clear preparations for its first nuclear test in five years, there is deep suspicion among observers that diplomacy can convince the country to give up its nuclear. Critics are calling on Seoul and Washington to develop a new approach to dealing with North Korea’s rapidly improving nuclear program.
Here’s a look at Kim’s recent nuclear moves.
Nuclear weapons on the border?
During a military meeting that ended on Thursday, Kim and other senior officials confirmed additional “operational duties” and “revised operational plans” for military units near the border with South Korea.
State media did not directly mention nuclear weapons. But outside experts believe that North Korea’s ambiguous language signals its intention to forward-deploy strategic nuclear weapons systems. They build on North Korea’s recent public comments about such plans and the testing of short-range nuclear-capable missiles designed to strike strategic facilities in South Korea, including US military bases.
A major sign came in April, when North Korea tested a newly developed guided weapon it said would improve efficient handling of “tactical nuclear” and boost the firepower of front-line artillery units. Later that month, Kim said he could already use his nuclear program if provoked.
Kim Yeol Soo, an expert at South Korea’s Korea Institute for Military Affairs, said North Korea now has “very high chances of using its strategic nuclear weapons on the battlefield” if war breaks out on the Korean peninsula.
The weapons deployed along the border are some of the more mobile, solid-fuel, short-range missiles that North Korea has test-launched since the collapse of nuclear diplomacy with the United States in 2019. North Korea has called those missiles – which foreign experts say are potentially capable of evading South Korean and US missile defenses – “tactical” weapons, which means equipping them with low-yield nuclear weapons. Is.
North Korea has already acquired the technology to nuclear weapons of its missiles, so the deployment of strategic nuclear weapons can happen at any time. kim taewooformer head of state funded Korean Institute for National Integration in Seoul.
However, some experts say North Korea cannot deploy nuclear-armed missiles because of potential problems maintaining them.
Will South Korea respond by deploying nuclear weapons?
North Korea’s apparent push to deploy strategic nuclear weapons may be part of Kim’s recent pledge to counter the United States’ “power of force” amid stalled nuclear diplomacy. It also comes as Washington and Seoul work to strengthen their joint defense capabilities to counter North Korean nuclear threats.
South Korea’s new conservative government, which took office last month, has said it will expand its conventional weapons capabilities and strengthen its defense together with the United States.
While Korea has avoided major conflict since the end of the 1950–53 Korean War, there have been deadly clashes and attacks in recent years that have killed dozens.
North Korea has a history of escalating threats and provocations when a new government is inaugurated in South Korea or the United States to create a potentially conducive environment for future talks. The country has often reduced its rhetoric and launched flashy offensives.
This time it might happen.
But nuclear weapons on the front lines will complicate how South Korea will respond to any future provocation by North Korea.
new president of south korea eun suk yeoliDuring a summit with the US President Joe Biden Last month, it secured a US commitment on the regional deployment of US strategic assets such as long-range bombers and aircraft carriers in response to provocations by North Korea.
The allies may also hold their largest joint military training in years in August.
But Yoon has said he will not pursue nuclear development or ask the United States to redeploy nuclear weapons to South Korea as a deterrent against a possible invasion by North Korea.
The South Korean military said it was closely monitoring North Korean activities on a possible move to deploy strategic nuclear weapons, but did not elaborate.
Some experts say that North Korea’s expansion of strategic nuclear weapons and the pursuit of long-range missiles capable of reaching the US mainland have undermined the credibility of America’s “nuclear umbrella”, although the Biden administration did not support South Korea. has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to protect Full range of military capabilities.
There are also calls for the resumption of US nuclear weapons in South Korea.
“We must switch to a strategy to eliminate North Korea’s nuclear threats through nuclear balancing,” said Kim Taewoo, former head of the Korean Institute for National Unification. The deployment of strategic nuclear weapons means that we will face a nuclear threat from North Korea.
What will happen next?
Strategic nuclear weapons were part of Kim Jong Un’s five-year weapons development plan announced last year. He has ramped up ballistic missile testing this year at an unprecedented pace to boost his country’s ability to strike both the US mainland and South Korea.
For weeks, US and South Korean officials have signaled an impending nuclear test by North Korea, which would be the first and seventh total since 2017. Such a test could be part of an effort to build a warhead that could fit strategic missiles or multi-combat missiles.
But North Korea has yet to conduct such testing, possibly because of its ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and protests by China, its last major ally and largest aid provider.
North Korea has so far rejected the Biden administration’s proposals for open-ended talks, calling on Washington to drop its “hostile policy”, a term it uses to deal with US-led economic sanctions and the United States. In the context of South Korean military exercises.
Experts say it is only a matter of time before North Korea conducts a nuclear test, which is seen as a necessary step under Kim’s five-year plan to increase its nuclear arsenal. Such a test is likely to push for the resumption of nuclear diplomacy.