A top general said North Korea's nuclear and missile tests could resume forcing the United States to loosen sanctions. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may see a chance to push diplomacy with the US, but he may also take "coercive action," according to the general chosen to command American forces in Korea.
"Given everything else going on, it seems silent, but I have no doubt that the adversaries in the North are seeking to protect his country and his legacy. If confirmed, one of the things I'll have to keep an eye on is all of his combat capabilities. Both conventional and nuclear, that could jeopardize our task," General Paul LaCamera of the United States Army testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee, as per The Sun.
Kim Jong Un recently boasted of advanced weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of targeting the United States, said LaCamera. North Korea performed two missile tests in 2017, capable of flying over 3,500 miles, but has not conducted any since.
Following a meeting with former President Donald Trump in 2018, Kim vowed to suspend testing and move for denuclearization. However, LaCamera said the country had taken no "concrete steps" toward denuclearization.
The general stated that US forces under his command must continue their attempts to persuade Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear programs. If confirmed, the general will succeed Army Gen. Robert Abrams later this year. He also discussed the US role in assisting South Korea in its defense. During Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018, the former president decided that the US will not hold large-scale training exercises with South Korean troops.
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North Korea' quiet' but testing of long-range missiles could resume
Per Stripes, military tensions on the Korean Peninsula are minimal. Still, the general nominated to command American forces in Korea testified Tuesday that North Korea might resume testing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons to coerce US officials into easing diplomatic or sanctions. The general will take on one of the most critical and sensitive roles the Pentagon has to offer, with President Joe Biden and his team still struggling to set their agenda for the turbulent region in motion. Added to that is the issue of how to deal with the North's growing ballistic missile and nuclear warhead arsenal.
With over 1 million troops, North Korea has one of the world's biggest conventional armies, with over 70 percent of them stationed along the DMZ, Washington Times reported. North Korea continues to invest in upgrading its firepower, although much of its equipment is outdated by today's standards. General LaCamera told lawmakers that most of the country's long-range arsenal is within range of Seoul and its 25 million people.
Analysts say North Korea to test new weapons soon
Analysts in the South believe North Korea might perform a military provocation during the upcoming US-South Korea summit in Washington or during planned joint drills on the peninsula. At a meeting of the National Unification Advisory Council in Seoul on Tuesday, Park Young-ja, a research fellow at the state-owned Korea Institute for National Unification, said Pyongyang could lift tensions to draw attention to the US-sanctioned regime.
Per UPI, Kim Jong Un's chances of conducting further nuclear experiments, according to Park, are "relatively low." According to the analyst, North Korea is more likely to test new missiles.
North Korea could intensify tensions with Seoul and Washington in August, according to Lee Ho-ryung, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. According to the report, North Korea is likely to avoid launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, which may result in further sanctions, and instead test new cruise missiles, such as the upgraded KN-23 or KN-25 Iskander-class missiles. A missile test may occur around the time of the summit on Friday, said Lee Jung-Chul, a political scientist at Seoul National University.
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