Afghan-Iran Nuclear Deal and North Korean Nuclear Issue... Biden's Diplomatic Test

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] On the 29th (local time), as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a report stating that North Korea has restarted a reactor essential for producing plutonium, a critical material for nuclear manufacturing, President Joe Biden faces a complex situation.

With the restoration talks of the Iran nuclear deal facing difficulties and the aftermath of the Kabul situation in Afghanistan continuing, the detection of North Korea’s nuclear facility restart has put the Biden administration’s foreign policy to the test, according to evaluations.

A senior U.S. official told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in an interview that the report is "quite concerning" and "emphasizes the urgent need to engage in dialogue with North Korea to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Thus, the restart of the Yongbyon nuclear facility is expected to become a new challenge for President Biden, who is currently focused on the Iran nuclear negotiations and the Kabul situation response.

Since the inauguration of Iran’s hardline conservative President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi on the 5th, nuclear negotiations with the U.S. have not resumed.

Meanwhile, following the recent U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the influx of refugees and resulting casualties have led the opposition party to call for impeachment and resignation, while voices of concern have also emerged within the ruling Democratic Party.

A former senior U.S. official told major foreign media in an interview, "The Biden administration has so far concentrated on responding to the Iran nuclear negotiations and the aftermath of the Afghanistan situation," adding, "The North Korean nuclear issue was considered a relatively less urgent matter compared to other foreign policies."

Ultimately, the Yongbyon reactor restart has become an occasion that reemphasizes that President Biden must treat the North Korean nuclear issue as a top priority policy.

Le Parisien analyzed that "(the reactor restart) means North Korea has posed a greater threat to its adversaries."

Joel Witt, a researcher at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center, said, "Signs of the Yongbyon nuclear facility restart indicate that North Korea’s nuclear weapons program cannot be ignored and that the Biden administration must treat this issue as a top priority."

There was also an expert analysis that the Yongbyon nuclear facility restart is a repercussion of the failed North Korea policy of a former president.

Corentin C?line, a French expert on U.S. diplomacy, diagnosed on Twitter that "President Biden has inherited the responsibility for the diplomatic failures of former President Trump."

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