When will North Korea accept negotiations with the US?

According to a South Korean research institute, North Korea will only negotiate with the US when it masters the technology to bring missiles back into the atmosphere.

YonhapNorth Korea is likely to seek dialogue with the United States after successfully testing re-entry technology - a key element in its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development program, a South Korean state agency said on December 21.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rejoices after witnessing a successful missile test. Photo: KCNA

North Korea is likely to launch its Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile at least once next year as Pyongyang continues to perfect its technology to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US mainland, according to the Korea Institute for Diplomacy and Security.

“If North Korea launches a missile on a standard trajectory and its re-entry technology is confirmed, there is a possibility that North Korea will seek disarmament talks with the United States as a nuclear state,” the Korea Institute for Foreign Affairs and Security said in its 2018 international affairs forecast.

North Korea tested the Hwasong-15 missile in late November, claiming that the new missile was capable of striking anywhere in the United States. With the launch of the Hwasong-15, Pyongyang said it had completed its “state nuclear force.”

However, experts remain skeptical about the possibility that North Korea has fully mastered the technology to bring missiles back into the atmosphere, allowing a warhead to withstand the extreme heat and pressure when passing through the Earth's atmosphere.

According to the Korea Institute for Diplomacy and Security, Seoul and Washington would not want to negotiate disarmament with Pyongyang because accepting such talks would mean recognizing North Korea as a nuclear state.

“But if North Korea follows the path toward negotiations, South Korea and the United States will not be able to easily walk away from the dialogue proposal. This will make their allies think negatively about what to do,” the institute said./.

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