Experts: ‘History cries out’ for skepticism on North Korea
North Korea’s pledge to shutter its nuclear test facility next month and allow unprecedented access to the site drew praise — and skepticism — from experts who cite Kim Jong Un’s history of bait and switch on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
South Korean President Moon Jaein’s spokesman said Sunday that Moon and Kim agreed to give notice when North Korea dismantles the northern test site and allow security experts and journalists to view the process.
Yoon Young-chan, Moon’s chief press secretary, said the deal was struck at Friday’s historic summit between the two leaders, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. President Trump has said he will meet with Kim in the coming weeks.
“Some say that we are terminating facilities that are not functioning, but you will see that they are in good condition,” Yoon quoted Kim as saying. Kim dismissed conjecture that he made the deal because a tunnel at the site was unstable, saying two larger tunnels remained viable.
Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest, said the United States must demand that experts be given access to Kim’s nuclear sites anywhere, any time.
“History cries out for us to be skeptical,” he told USA TODAY. “North Korea could simply be updating its go-to playbook for negotiating with Washington and Seoul: make promises, pocket concessions and stall for time.”
Moon and Kim agreed to work on a peace agreement to formally end the 1950-1953 Korean War this year. The war was technically halted with an armistice and not a peace treaty.
North Korea’s testing of nuclear weapons and missiles has been met with a series of economic sanctions.
“Negotiating with Kim is like trying to strike a bargain with Lucifer,” Kazianis said. “We need to be extremely cautious and not let our guard down. However, you have to admit, we are in a more hopeful place when it comes to North Korea in decades. And that is progress.”