US considers possibility of assassinating North Korean leader

(Baonghean.vn) - Several senior US intelligence and military officials said the National Security Council (NSC) has presented President Donald Trump with several options to deal with North Korea's nuclear program, including deploying nuclear weapons in South Korea or killing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a military drill in Pyongyang. Photo: KCNA

The two scenarios are part of a North Korea policy review prepared ahead of a meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The White House hopes China will exert more influence on North Korea through diplomacy and increased sanctions.

But if that fails and North Korea continues to pursue its nuclear weapons development program, there are a number of other options that would cause a significant change in US policy.

The first and most controversial option being considered is the deployment of nuclear weapons in South Korea. The US withdrew all of its nuclear weapons from South Korea 25 years ago. Bringing them back, possibly to Osan Air Base (about 80 km south of Seoul), would mark the first time Washington has deployed nuclear weapons outside its borders since the end of the Cold War – an undeniably aggressive move.

However, the idea is believed to undermine the US goal of a nuclear-free zone and weaken South Korea's moral authority in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

The US also has another option, which is to assassinate Kim Jong-un and other senior officials in charge of North Korea's missile and nuclear programs as well as control the decision-making process.

Former US Ambassador to South Korea and Assistant Secretary of Defense under former President Barack Obama, Mark Lippert, believes that this option has many negative points. According to Mr. Lippert, discussing regime change and eliminating the supreme leader in the North Korean government will make China worried, causing Beijing to move in the opposite direction, instead of increasing pressure on Pyongyang as the US wants.

A third option is a covert operation, which would see US and South Korean special forces infiltrate North Korea and covertly sabotage or destroy critical infrastructure – such as blowing up bridges or blocking the movement of mobile missiles. Former NATO commander Stavridis said this option was the “best strategy” in case the US was forced to resort to military action.

Last year, Seoul announced the creation of a special operations unit called Spartan 3000, which would operate behind enemy lines inside North Korea.

Lan Ha

(According to NBC News)