North Korea issue is the “most urgent” challenge to international security and stability
The North Korea issue is the "most urgent" challenge to international security and stability, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said during a Senate hearing.
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| South Korean people watch news of North Korea testing nuclear weapons. |
He warned that recognizing North Korea's nuclear status would lead to the destruction of the nuclear non-proliferation regime (NPT). In this case, Kissinger said, South Korea and Japan would also want to create their own nuclear weapons.
In his view, formal recognition of North Korea's right to nuclear weapons would reduce the United States' ability to deter other countries from using such weapons.
Kissinger said the "fundamental task" of the world community is to denuclearize the Korean peninsula; at the same time, he warned the US against unilateral action against North Korea.
"The possibility of solving the North Korean problem with the use of preventive strikes is very high. However, I advise the US authorities not to start a one-sided war near the borders of China and Russia, for which we will not receive the support of a number of countries in the world," - the former Secretary of State said, Defense News quoted him.
Henry Kissinger believes that the United States should enlist China's support in pressuring North Korea with the aim of forcing the Pyongyang government to give up its nuclear weapons.