SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea’s recent revelations of its nuclear facilities were likely an attempt to get U.S. attention ahead of next month’s presidential election, with North Korea on the brink of a nuclear test. South Korea’s president says the test is likely to involve large-scale provocations, such as explosions or long-range missiles.
President Yoon Seok-yol on Sunday gave his government’s assessment of North Korea’s recent moves before departing for a three-country visit that includes a stop in Laos for summits with Southeast Asian and other world leaders. Shared with the Associated Press. Yun said at a meeting related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that he would emphasize that nuclear disarmament of North Korea is essential for peace in the region.
In a written response to questions from The Associated Press, Yun said, “At upcoming ASEAN-related summits, we will emphasize the importance of denuclearizing North Korea, which is a prerequisite for realizing a free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.” “I will.”
“This will send a clear message that the international community will never tolerate North Korea’s reckless behavior,” he said.
Concerns about North Korea have grown in recent weeks, as the country unveiled a secret uranium enrichment facility, vowed to build more nuclear weapons and continued provocative missile tests. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to destroy South Korea with nuclear weapons if provoked.
Many foreign experts say North Korea ultimately hopes to use its nuclear arsenal as leverage to win external concessions, such as sanctions relief, after a new U.S. president is elected. . They say Kim would be more likely to get what he wants if Republican candidate Donald Trump, who engaged in high-stakes nuclear diplomacy from 2018 to 2019, wins than Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. It is highly likely that they believe that this will increase their chances of getting into the country. During the campaign, Trump boasted about his personal relationship with Kim Jong Un, but Harris said, “I have no intention of courting tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un who support Trump.” .
The Sept. 13 unveiling of the nuclear facility signaled defiance of U.S.-led efforts to eliminate Kim’s ongoing nuclear program. This is the first time North Korea has unveiled a facility that produces weapons-grade uranium since 2010, when the country showed off facilities at its main Yongbyon nuclear facility to American academics led by nuclear physicist Siegfried Hecker. Hecker said the centrifuge hall was exposed in a recent North Korea report. The photo was not the same as what he saw in 2010.
“North Korea appears to have recently opened its nuclear facilities to the public in order to attract the attention of the United States and the international community in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election, and there is a strong possibility that it will carry out additional provocations such as a nuclear attack.” There are also plans to launch inter-ballistic missiles,” Yun said.
Yun did not elaborate on whether South Korea had detected any suspicious activity in North Korea that suggested preparations for a nuclear test or an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test. He said South Korea is closely monitoring North Korea's movements through South Korea-US joint intelligence and surveillance assets.
North Korea has conducted six underground nuclear tests since 2006, and has also conducted numerous intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launches in recent years. The additional tests appear to be aimed at further increasing nuclear and missile capabilities. Many observers assess that North Korea does not yet have a functioning nuclear missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, but that it likely has nuclear missiles capable of hitting all of South Korea and Japan.
Since taking office in 2022, the conservative Yun has focused his foreign policy on strengthening the military alliance with the United States to deal with North Korea’s evolving nuclear threat. He also took a major step toward strengthening the trilateral security partnership between Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo beyond the historic conflict with Japan. Such moves have infuriated North Korea, which has called Yun a “traitor” and ignored calls for dialogue.
If President Trump returns to the White House, there may be concerns about the Korea-US alliance. He has previously called on South Korea to significantly increase the cost of deploying U.S. troops there. Some experts say Trump could push for a new round of negotiations with Kim, complicating Yoon’s approach on North Korea’s nuclear program. .
However, Yoon said he was confident that the “iron-clad” South Korea-US alliance would continue to move forward regardless of the outcome of the US presidential election.
“There is solid bipartisan support for the Korea-US alliance in the United States,” Yun said. “Many leading U.S. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have publicly expressed staunch support for the alliance and continue to visit South Korea for consultations to strengthen bilateral relations.”
ROK stands for Republic of Korea and is the official name of South Korea.
Yun also expressed confidence that South Korea and Japan will continue to develop bilateral relations under Japan’s new cabinet led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, which was inaugurated last week. Yun’s office said the two countries are discussing arranging a meeting between Yun and Ishiba to coincide with the ASEAN summit.
Yun said he believes North Korea’s nuclear threat to South Korea is aimed at fomenting division within South Korea and tightening domestic control by escalating military tensions on the peninsula.
“The North Korean regime’s past assertion that its nuclear program was not intended to target the Republic of Korea because we are one nation has been debunked,” Yun said.
Asked about North Korea’s repeated launches of garbage-carrying balloons toward South Korea, Yun said that if the safety of South Koreans was jeopardized, North Korea would “lead to consequences that are difficult to bear.” We will face it.” He did not specify specific measures the government was considering.
Prior to his visit to Laos, Yun plans to visit the Philippines and Singapore.
Yun said that an important issue that South Korea plans to raise at the ASEAN-related summit, other than North Korea’s nuclear development, is the establishment of a comprehensive South Korea-ASEAN strategic partnership. He said South Korea will further expand cooperation with ASEAN in a wide range of areas, including politics, military exchanges, cybersecurity, the environment, and safety nets against financial crises.
