As American B-2 bombers striped beyond Iran, they target facilities tied to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, East Asian policymakers and analysts were already tackling important issues.
Experts warn that Washington’s military action could strengthen Pyongyang’s resolve to accelerate its arms programme and deepen cooperation with Russia, reinforcing leader Kim Jong’s belief that nuclear weapons are the ultimate deterrent against a powerful US change of government.
Despite years of efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, the Kim administration is believed to own multiple nuclear weapons, and missiles that can potentially reach the US mean that potential military strikes on the South Korean peninsula are at a very high risk.
“President Trump’s strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities will undoubtedly further strengthen the legitimacy of the North Korean regime’s survival and longstanding policies on nuclear weapons development,” said Lim Ulchul, professor of North Korea’s studies at Kyonnam University in South Korea.
“North Korea sees recent US airstrikes as a preemptive military threat and is likely to accelerate efforts to increase its own capabilities for preemptive nuclear missile attacks,” Lim said.
Analysts say that the two neighbors attacked Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and the acceleration could come through Russian aid.
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