Pentagon releases critical assessment of North Korean regime

The agency concluded that the main function of the regime in Pyongyang is to ensure “the Kim family's eternal rule” at the expense of the well-being of the North Korean people.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo: CNN

The report is a stark contrast to Trump’s public assessment of Kim. Last year, the US president called the North Korean leader “little rocket man,” but in recent weeks he has heaped praise on Kim, calling him “very open and very respectful.” The report also outlines the obstacles Trump faces in persuading Kim to abandon his nuclear weapons program, which Kim sees as key to maintaining his grip on power.

The Pentagon study of military and security developments in North Korea was commissioned by Congress, and the latest edition was completed before Trump agreed to meet with Kim. Still, it provides the Trump administration’s most detailed public assessment of Kim’s weapons program and his potential motivations for remaining in power ahead of a possible summit.

The assessment concluded that the Kim regime “seeks to maintain control over a population that is increasingly losing trust in it. North Korea’s primary strategic objective is the perpetuation of the Kim family’s rule through the simultaneous development of the economy and its nuclear weapons program.”

The Pentagon asserted that Mr. Kim's regime “no longer provides essential goods and services outside the capital and major cities,” and relies on ideological intimidation to maintain order.

The report underscores the long-standing view of US intelligence that Kim is motivated primarily by a desire to maintain power. “Eliminating perceived threats to the Kim family regime and the belief that North Korea is entitled to be respected as a world power are the primary drivers of North Korea’s security strategy.”

US intelligence and military will continue to closely monitor North Korea's moves. Photo: Reuters

Regardless of Mr. Kim’s current motivations for engaging in negotiations with the United States, several defense officials said the U.S. military and intelligence community will continue to gather intelligence on the regime, through continued use of satellites to monitor weapons sites, tracking objects flying near North Korean airspace for electronic intercepts, and working with U.S.-backed forces to gather whatever information they can on Mr. Kim and his close advisers.

“We cannot stop,” a defense official said of the need to continue monitoring any strategic moves by North Korea that could indicate further development or testing of its missiles and nuclear warheads.

One of the clearest illustrations of the US military and intelligence posture, even as North Korea publicly announced this week the closure of an underground nuclear test site, is that US satellites are continuing to monitor for any new test sites, a source familiar with the matter said.

US intelligence officials also continue to calculate the time and equipment North Korea would need if it decided to launch a missile or conduct any other type of nuclear test. Pyongyang's last missile launch was last year.

The Pentagon report also points to North Korea’s cyberweapons efforts as well as its chemical and biological weapons programs, which the US says have not waned. It also notes that North Korea maintains a large conventional weapons program. That arsenal is not part of US discussions with the Kim regime.

North Korea also maintains significant artillery forces along the demilitarized zone (DMZ), posing a direct threat to Seoul. In 2016, North Korea tested a “short-range ballistic missile” called the KN-SS-X-9, which could potentially give it the ability to reach US Garrison Humphreys, the current headquarters of the US Eighth Army, about 40 miles south of Seoul.