North Korea returns to 'brink of war' policy
(Baonghean.vn) - Analysts said on January 20 that North Korea appears to be returning to its typical "brinkmanship" policy with consecutive weapons tests and clear threats to resume nuclear and long-range missile tests, as the US is stepping up sanctions pressure amid the difficult economic situation in this Northeast Asian country.
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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo: AP |
Sanctions are seen as a core pillar of what Pyongyang sees as a hostile US policy toward the North Korean regime. Pyongyang has demanded a rollback of such policy as a precondition for a return to dialogue, a demand rejected by Washington.
“In addition to external motivations to show off power, there may be a need to address internal economic issues, such as the fact that the North Korean economy is nearing an unbearable threshold due to prolonged restrictions caused by the pandemic,” Professor Park said. “To divert attention from these issues, North Korea may inflame tensions beyond its borders, perhaps through a confrontation with the United States.”
North Korea's tough stance comes as its presence appears to be down the foreign policy agenda for the Biden administration, which is preoccupied with a more pressing geopolitical issue: Russia's massing of some 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine.
Analysts note that North Korea is unlikely to be a major factor in the US election, but President Biden may want to make some tangible progress on major foreign policy issues. The series of missile launches has puzzled analysts who believe Pyongyang may refrain from a destabilizing show of force ahead of the Winter Olympics in China, North Korea’s main sponsor.
Notably, North Korean cargo trains were spotted entering a Chinese border city this week, a sign that business activities have resumed, although three of North Korea's four weapons tests this month took place near the Chinese border - a reason for speculation that Beijing may have turned a blind eye to Pyongyang's repeated launches.
Professor Nam Chang-hee, who studies international politics at Inha University, said: "North Korea's series of missile tests comes as speculations begin to emerge that rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula could weaken the US's military focus, especially on the Taiwan issue, which is a core issue with China."
.jpg "Ông Kim Jong-un chỉ đạo tăng cường sức mạnh hạt nhân Triều Tiên ‘không giới hạn’")
