NORTH KOREA TESTS NEW WEAPON BUT WON’T SHARE DETAILS
PRESSURE ON U.S. Pyongyang calls it ‘ultramodern, tactical’, but doesn’t share details of the device
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed the successful test of an unspecified “newly developed ultra-modern tactical weapon”, state media reported on Friday, in an apparent bid to apply pressure on the US and South Korea.
It didn’t appear to be a test of a nuclear device or a long-range missile with the potential to target the US. A string of such tests last year had many fearing war before the North turned to engagement and diplomacy. Still, any mention of weapons testing could influence the direction of stalled diplomatic efforts spearheaded by Washington and aimed at ridding the North of its nuclear weapons.
The North hasn’t publicly tested any weapons since November 2017, but in recent days Pyongyang reportedly expressed anger at US-led international sanctions and ongoing small-scale military drills between South Korea and the United States.
Earlier this month, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry warned it could bring back its policy of bolstering its nuclear arsenal if it doesn’t receive sanctions relief.
“It’s North Korea-style coercive diplomacy. North Korea is saying ‘If you don’t listen to us, you will face political burdens,’” said analyst Shin Beomchul of Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
Diplomacy has stalled since a summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump in June, with Washington pushing for more action on nuclear disarmament and the North insisting that the US first approve a peace declaration formally ending the Korean War and lift sanctions.
Shin said the weapon North Korea tested could be a missile, artillery, an anti-air gun, a drone or other high-tech conventional weapons systems.
Yang Wook, a Seoul-based military expert, said a “tactical weapon” in North Korea refers to “a weapon aimed at striking South Korea including US military bases” there, so the North may have tested a short-range missile or a multiple rocket launch system.
Even if the test was a message for Washington and Seoul, Friday’s report from the North was noticeably less belligerent than past announcements of weapons tests, and didn’t focus on North Korean claims of US and South Korean hostility.
Yang said the test won’t break down nuclear diplomacy, though more questions would be raised about if North is committed to denuclearisation.
NORTH KOREA DEPORTS AMERICAN CITIZEN
North Korea on Friday said it will deport an American citizen it detained for illegal entrance.
The Korean Central News Agency said American national Bruce Byron Lowrance was detained on October 16 for illegally entering the country from China. It said he told investigators that he was under the “manipulation” of the Central Intelligence Agency.