Yesterday, the State Department released an official reaction to media reports on upcoming joint naval exercises between Russia and North Korea. The U.S. declared that “any engagement with the North Koreans should be conducted in a way that does not detract from the international community’s clear message of concern about the North’s weapons programs, and the necessity for Pyongyang to do what is necessary to return to the Six-Party talks.” The response is timid, considering the danger that the recent behavior of both countries presents to U.S. interests. Continued North …
Sixty years ago today, North Korea brutally invaded the Republic of Korea. In doing so, Pyongyang revealed the true nature of its regime—its willingness to blatantly violate international agreements, its eagerness to use military attacks to achieve warped political objectives, and its utter disregard for the lives of the citizens of the Republic of Korea. Lest we forget, this is a regime whose brutal nature continues to this day and which is in fact trying to perpetuate itself at the moment through a second dynastic transition. On the southern side …
Pyongyang ’s eagerness to conduct a nuclear test so quickly after its long-range missile launch shows it has abandoned its previous façade of negotiations and is instead striving to achieve a viable nuclear weapon and ICBM delivery capability. North Korea ’s unflinching efforts to develop the means to threaten the US and its allies with nuclear weapons underscores the ongoing need to continue to develop and deploy a missile defense system. The rapid pace of Pyongyang ’s provocations since January indicates it has altered its objectives and is no longer …
A Direct Challenge Three, Two, One … Launch: North Korea is preparing to launch a long-range Taepo Dong-2 missile in early April, capable of hitting targets in the western United States. A Continuing Threat: A 2001 U.S. National Intelligence Estimate assessed a two-stage Taepo Dong-2 could threaten Alaska, Hawaii, and the western United States while a three-stage missile could threaten all of North America with a nuclear warhead. Civilian Satellite? North Korea is characterizing the launch as a civilian satellite to minimize negative repercussion from its provocative act. However, mastering …
