US Indo-Pacific Commander, “Kim Jong-un reinforces belligerent attitude”

US Indo-Pacific Commander Philip Davidson said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is reinforcing a belligerent attitude. The US Indo-Pacific commander is in charge of military operations in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Korean Peninsula.

Commander Davidson said in a response to the hearing to the US Senate Military Commission on the 9th (local time), “North Korea poses a significant security threat to the United States and our partners. Until the nuclear situation on the Korean Peninsula is resolved, it will remain our most immediate threat.”

Commander Davidson said, “North Korea is developing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and asymmetric capabilities, such as nuclear weapons and transportation systems, as well as advanced cyber operations that threaten our alliance and the US mainland. “We are not taking any meaningful steps toward denuclearization and are continuing to develop our strategic weapons program.”

In particular, he said, “North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is again taking a belligerent stance toward the United States.” He declared, “In December 2019, Kim Jong-un declared that he was no longer bound by the deferred measures he took on nuclear and long-range missile tests (June 2018). I did” he pointed out. “At the beginning of this year, referring to the strengthening of nuclear weapons, the United States was defined as North Korea’s largest and most important enemy, and confirmed some new weapons modernization goals, such as the development of tactical nuclear weapons and hypersonic carriers, and improvement of the accuracy and readiness of intercontinental ballistic missiles I did” he explained.

Chairman Kim ordered the strengthening of nuclear and national defense power through the party conference and plenary meeting in January and February respectively. In addition, at the parade ceremony held on the occasion of the Party’s founding anniversary in October last year and the party conference in January, the new long-range missile (Hwaseong-16) and the new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) were estimated to be’North Pole-5o (Siot)’. Released.

In this regard, Commander Davidson emphasized that “North Korea’s missile research and development efforts are consistent with North Korea’s explicit goal of attacking the US mainland with continued pursuit of nuclear materials and technology.”

In the midst of this, a French naval destroyer, Praireal, dispatched to the East China Sea last month to monitor North Korea’s illegal transshipment, the Voice of America (VOA) broadcast said on the 10th.

According to the VOA, on the 28th of last month, the Prairie Ship took a picture in the East China Sea of ​​a ship that is believed to be a North Korean oil tanker and another large tanker connected by five hoses at night. On the 9th, the French military authorities released related photos through Twitter and Facebook, and announced that the two tankers were engaged in suspected illegal transshipment activities. French authorities reported this to the UN Security Council.

Reporter Jeong Yong-soo [email protected]