North Korea Mentions "Nuclear War," US Responds "Give Up Nukes If You Want Economy"

US White House National Security Advisor Reveals
North Korea's Potential Construction and Unveiling of SLBM Submarine

North Korea held the 4th Enlarged Meeting of the 7th Central Military Commission of the Party, presided over by Chairman Kim Jong Un, according to Korean Central TV on the 24th. Chairman Kim Jong Un, holding a pencil in one hand, is explaining while counting numbers on his fingers.

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, pulled out the "nuclear war deterrence" card for the first time in two years, sending a warning message to the United States. On the following day, the 24th (local time), the U.S. stated, "If North Korea wants economic development, it must give up its nuclear weapons." While the U.S. refrained from strong pressure, avoiding an escalation between North Korea and the U.S., experts assess that the spark to trigger tension on the Korean Peninsula remains.

Robert O'Brien, U.S. National Security Advisor at the White House, said in an interview with CBS on the same day, when asked about the signal behind North Korea's mention of strengthening nuclear capabilities at the Central Military Commission meeting, "We have to watch," adding, "We have avoided conflict with North Korea for the past three and a half years, and President (Donald Trump) is engaged in excellent personal diplomacy with Kim Jong-un."

This was the first statement from a senior U.S. official after North Korea announced on the 24th that it held an expanded meeting of the Party Central Military Commission chaired by Kim Jong-un to discuss measures to strengthen nuclear war deterrence. Instead of responding with a warning message to North Korea's surprise mention of "nuclear deterrence," the U.S. reiterated its willingness for a diplomatic solution. However, it remains uncertain whether North Korea will respond to the U.S.'s call for dialogue.

Especially with reports that the U.S. is withdrawing from multilateral and bilateral security treaties one after another and is discussing resuming nuclear tests for the first time in 28 years, North Korea is likely to take a more aggressive stance. The core logic behind North Korea's nuclear development is "a self-defensive response to the U.S.'s hostile policy and nuclear threats against North Korea." The recent U.S. moves could raise concerns that they might provide North Korea with justification to enhance its nuclear forces.

North Korea's state media, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), reported that at the expanded meeting, "new policies were presented to further strengthen the country's nuclear war deterrence and to operate strategic forces in a high state of readiness." Some analysts interpret Kim Jong-un's mention of nuclear war deterrence as a declaration to resume nuclear-related activities that had been restrained for some time. Former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Olli Heinonen said in an interview with Voice of America (VOA), "(North Korea's announcement) is a strong message to the U.S.," adding, "They can produce additional highly enriched uranium and plutonium."

The Blue House interprets North Korea's move as a statement aimed at pressuring the U.S. in the context of North Korea-U.S. negotiations. It is seen as a strategic ploy to foster internal unity while pressuring the U.S. to bring it to the dialogue table.

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un presided over the 4th Enlarged Meeting of the 7th Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party, according to Korean Central Television on the 24th. The photo shows the view of the meeting hall.

Inside and outside the military, the most realistic next military move is expected to be the launching ceremony of a new submarine equipped with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), reportedly under construction at the Sinpo Shipyard. North Korea is building a new submarine at Sinpo Shipyard, known as the cradle of submarine development, by modifying the existing Romeo-class submarine, with a beam of about 7 meters and a length of about 80 meters, and the construction is reportedly in its final stages. North Korea declared that it began SLBM test launches with the "Pukguksong-1" in August 2016 and succeeded in launching the new SLBM "Pukguksong-3" in October last year. Therefore, building a submarine capable of carrying multiple SLBMs could itself serve as a card to pressure the U.S.

In particular, significant measures to enhance "artillery firepower strike capability" seem possible. The advancement of Ri Pyong-chol, Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party and Minister of the Military Industry, and Pak Jong-chon, Chief of the General Staff, both key figures in Kim Jong-un's regime's nuclear and missile development, is interpreted in this context.

Shin Jong-woo, Secretary General of the Korea Defense and Security Forum (KODEF), said, "North Korea will not provoke immediately, but the SLBM equipped with new nuclear weapons is likely to be operated as the central weapon system of the nuclear deterrence emphasized by North Korea."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Unification withheld evaluation regarding North Korea's mention of "nuclear war deterrence," stating it was a continuation from last year. Cho Hye-sil, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Unification, said at a regular briefing, "The expression 'nuclear war deterrence' was mentioned at the 7th Central Committee's 5th Plenary Meeting last year," adding, "It is understood that it was reaffirmed at the Central Military Commission."

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