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North Korea has been holding the 5th plenary meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party for the third day, Chosun Central TV reported on the 31st. The photo shows Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, standing on the podium during the third day of the meeting, as reported by Chosun Central TV on the same day. Photo by Chosun Central TV

The incident in which the United States assassinated Qasem Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is drawing attention for its potential impact on the future 'denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.'

North Korea emphasizes that it developed nuclear weapons as a means of self-defense against threats from the United States. Observing this incident, North Korea is expected to become even more convinced that key government officials could be assassinated abroad and that deterrence against such situations can only be secured through nuclear weapons.

As of the morning of the 4th, North Korean media have not issued any statements regarding the death of a key Iranian military figure caused by the U.S. airstrike. This contrasts sharply with governments and media worldwide, which have expressed extreme concern and have not hidden their tension over the incident.

Considering that North Korean media have tended to respond to international issues with a delay rather than immediately, North Korea's position is expected to be announced 2 to 3 days later. Alternatively, there is also a considerable possibility that it may be completely ignored.

Experts believe North Korea has no choice but to watch the U.S.-Iran incident with extreme tension. Bipan Narang, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), evaluated on his Twitter on the 3rd (local time), "Today's incident has become a reason for Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, to possess nuclear forces." In a situation clearly inferior in all aspects of power, the only card to counter the U.S. regime and security threats is 'nuclear weapons.'

Chairman Kim mentioned 'offensive measures for sovereignty and security' at the Workers' Party plenary meeting, which replaced this year's New Year's address.

Daniel DePetris, a researcher at the U.S. foreign policy think tank Defense Priorities, pointed out, "(North Korea) knows what will fully guarantee sovereignty and protect national security," adding, "That is nuclear deterrence (possession of nuclear weapons)." This implies the importance of nuclear weapons for sovereignty and security.

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un presided over the 5th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party at the Central Committee Headquarters on the 31st of last month, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 1st.

Having observed the 2011 Libya incident and the 2020 Iran situation, North Korea is highly likely to further pursue nuclear possession and strengthening of nuclear forces rather than denuclearization. North Korea may use the cases of Libya and Iran as justification for not denuclearizing.

Iran reached a nuclear agreement during the Obama administration, but the succeeding Donald Trump administration not only overturned it but also assassinated government officials.

North Korea views Libya's regime collapse as a result of giving up nuclear weapons. Although there is an assessment that the fall of the Gaddafi regime was due to internal contradictions within the dictatorial power system rather than prior nuclear abandonment, North Korea does not acknowledge this.

In 2011, Kim Kye-gwan, First Vice Minister of the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed extreme caution about the Libya-style denuclearization model by referring to the fate of Muammar Gaddafi, former Libyan president, to Robert King, former U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights.

On May 24 last year, Choe Son-hui, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated in a commentary, "When we are compared to Libya, which met a tragic end, it makes me think that high-ranking U.S. politicians know us far too little." This was a strong backlash against U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's remark to the media that "(North Korea) could meet the same fate as Libya."

Super-large multiple rocket launcher unveiled by North Korea on August 24 last year [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, North Korea and Iran have demonstrated a special bond as vanguards of anti-Americanism. Iran is also a country under U.S. sanctions. In a situation of 'shared suffering,' North Korea has repeatedly expressed support for Iran.

For example, on April 16 last year, the Workers' Party organ newspaper Rodong Sinmun cited Iran as a model country of sovereignty and prosperity. At that time, the newspaper reported in the 'Analysis of the Situation' column titled 'Iran's Efforts for National Prosperity and Security' that "The Iranian government has set the goal of building a sovereign and prosperous country and has been fighting for it," and "The Iranian government is striving to protect the country's security and ensure peace in the Middle East."

It particularly emphasized that despite Iran suffering economic hardships due to international sanctions against North Korea, it is overcoming them. The newspaper claimed, "Currently, external forces are coveting Iran's vast natural resources and are imposing sanctions in various ways to annihilate the country's sovereignty," and "Under such circumstances, the Iranian government is making active efforts to protect the interests of the country and nation in all fields, including politics, economy, and military, more than ever."

The bond between North Korea and Iran continues into the new year. On the 2nd, North Korea's state media Korean Central News Agency reported that "Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sent a New Year's congratulatory message to Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, on the 1st."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.