Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) researcher Kim Jin Moo believes that the reason why North Korea has been focusing on nuclear weapons development in spite of international pressure is that the North’s ultimate purpose is nothing other than the possession of those nuclear weapons.
Kim told an academic conference held by the Korean Association of International Studies on the 23rd, “North Korea’s second nuclear test showed that most expert hypothesis was wrong. Experts on North Korea had presumed that nuclear problems were the issue, and could be negotiated on.”
He explained, “In the late 1980s, North Korea started developing nuclear weapons for the sake of its security whilst shocked by the collapse of the socialist bloc.”
“The idea of establishing a strong and prosperous state by 2012 is to block threats from the international community; to increase the people’s loyalty; and to take economic aid from the world.”
Kim emphasized that, in his opinion, “Creating a crisis mood by developing nuclear weapons and launching long-range missiles is not in order to heighten the stakes in negotiations, but a deliberate plan. The year 2012 could be a historic year, when North Korea completes its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles and deploys those nuclear ballistic missiles in the field.”
Regarding the South Korean national defense policy, he commented, “The military power imbalance between North and South is now so serious that it is so hard to come to a practical agreement. North Korea’s nuclear developments make things more complicated and difficult. Therefore, the North’s military threat will linger for a significant period of time.”
