North Korea is likely ready to conduct another nuclear test to gain the upper hand in potential negotiations, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stated Tuesday, citing Pyongyang’s expanding strategic weapons program and growing ties with Russia as additional factors strengthening its negotiating position against Washington.
“North Korea is probably prepared to conduct another nuclear test on short notice and continues to flight test ICBMs to demonstrate their increasing capabilities as leverage in future negotiations,” Gabbard said in a written statement submitted for a congressional hearing held Tuesday by the US Senate Intelligence Committee.
In the event that such a nuclear test were to be carried out, it would be North Korea’s seventh. Its six previous tests were conducted between 2006 and 2017.
Gabbard added that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is enhancing both strategic and conventional capabilities to threaten US forces, regional allies and even the US itself — an attempt to "bolster North Korea's leverage and stature, defend the regime and achieve at least tacit recognition as a nuclear weapons power."
She also pointed to Kim’s deepening ties with Russia as a means of supporting those ambitions during her congressional testimony, delivered on the occasion of the annual threat assessment report released by the US intelligence community.
“Kim’s recently cemented strategic partnership with Russia supports these goals by providing him greater financial, military and diplomatic support; reduced reliance on China and the need to defer to Beijing’s terms for support; and providing North Korean forces and weapons systems authentic warfighting experience,” Gabbard's statement read.
"Kim views his strategic weapons advances since 2019, deepening ties with Russia, and North Korea's economic durability as strengthening his negotiating position against Washington's demands for denuclearization and lessening his need for sanctions relief."
The report also assessed that ties among North Korea, China, Russia and Iran are unlikely to revert to prewar levels even if the war in Ukraine ends.
“Since 2022, China, Russia, Iran and North Korea have grown closer. Removing the accelerant of the war in Ukraine is unlikely to revert these bilateral relationships to a prewar 2021 baseline, leaving room for new strategic priorities and world events to create new incentives or challenges to their currently high levels of cooperation,” the statement read.
In response, South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday reaffirmed its readiness to counter such threats in coordination with the United States.
"North Korea's preparations for an additional nuclear test are complete, and we believe that a nuclear test is possible at any time depending on Kim Jong-un's decision to do so," the ministry said in a statement.
It added that South Korean and US intelligence authorities are “closely tracking relevant developments through close coordination in response to changes in North Korea’s nuclear-related activities and capabilities,” emphasizing the allies’ joint defense posture.
According to South Korea’s 2022 Defense White Paper — the most recently released by Seoul — North Korea is believed to have secured approximately 70 kilograms of plutonium, enough to produce nine to 18 nuclear warheads, in addition to a considerable stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
As part of its readiness posture, Seoul and Washington conducted the 11-day Freedom Shield exercise in March, a large-scale annual military drill that incorporated scenarios reflecting threats based on analysis of North Korea’s evolving military strategy, its cooperation with Russia and emerging tactics in modern warfare, including nuclear threats and drone attacks.
flylikekite@heraldcorp.com
