The top US intelligence official for North Korea has warned that the country sees diplomacy only as a means to advance its nuclear weapons development, even though Biden’s new government says it will look for ways to get Pyongyang back on track.
Nominee Joe Biden as Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday the new government plans a complete overhaul of the U.S. approach to North Korea to look at ways to increase pressure on it to return to the negotiating table .
White House spokesman Jen Psaki reiterated that North Korea’s nuclear weapons are a serious threat to peace and that Washington has a vital interest in deterring Pyongyang.
Sydney Seiler, the US National Information Officer for North Korea, had earlier told the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank that Pyongyang’s weapons development had been a consistent policy for 30 years.
‘Every involvement in diplomacy is designed to advance the nuclear program, not to find a way out … I urge people not to allow tactical ambiguity to hinder strategic clarity on North Korea, he said.
‘So we should not be too encouraged when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un proposes a dialogue tomorrow, nor should we be too surprised or discouraged if there is an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) launch against Sunday does not take place. ‘
Seiler also said that humanitarian aid – which Blinken said the United States should look to North Korea if necessary – was not of interest to Pyongyang.
The power that North Korea is trying to develop, even though it is partly aspirational and partly years away, was far more than was needed for a country that simply wanted to be left alone, Seiler said, adding: ‘This is where the real risk of void. ‘
On Tuesday, Blinken spoke about the review plan in response to a question by Democratic Senator Ed Markey, who asked whether Blinken, with the ultimate goal of ousting North Korea, would support a ‘phased agreement’ that provides relief measures for Pyongyang in return for a freeze in its weapons programs.
Biden’s top official in Asia, Kurt Campbell, said the government should decide quickly on its approach and not repeat a delay in the Obama era that led to ‘challenging’ steps by Pyongyang that prevented involvement .
Campbell also praised former President Donald Trump’s unprecedented summit with Kim, though it has made no progress in curtailing a North Korean nuclear weapons program that has since expanded.