Victor Cha: "North Korean Nuclear Threat Cannot Be Stopped, Faster Than US Defense System Modernization"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Victor Cha, Deputy Director of the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), stated on the 3rd that regarding North Korea's nuclear weapons advancement, "We currently seem to be in an unstoppable situation concerning North Korea's nuclear missile program."

Deputy Director Cha said at the '2022 International Nuclear Non-Proliferation Conference' held at the Sejong Institute, hosted by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Nonproliferation Education and Research Center, "North Korea is developing various ranges of weapon capabilities that can neutralize missile defense systems, including long- and short-range missiles and solid propellants."

He added, "Of course, the U.S. is also expanding and modernizing its missiles and supplementing and increasing missile defense systems," but emphasized, "I believe the pace of North Korea's (nuclear missile) program advancement is faster than the speed at which the U.S. is modernizing its missile defense systems."

This is interpreted as meaning that North Korea's nuclear missile program has reached an unstoppable stage and is advancing faster than the modernization of the U.S. missile defense system.

Deputy Director Cha argued that as a solution for North Korea's denuclearization, "Military action cannot be a solution, and while sanctions against North Korea are an important part, they also cannot be the method."

Regarding the effectiveness of sanctions against North Korea, he pointed out, "North Korea has closed its borders during the COVID-19 situation for the past two and a half years," adding, "North Korea itself has imposed the strictest sanctions, which weakens the argument that sanctions will collapse North Korea."

He further stated, "Ultimately, diplomacy is the only way to at least slow down North Korea's nuclear program."

However, he evaluated, "The Joe Biden U.S. administration made about twenty attempts in various forms last year to resume talks with North Korea, but as far as I know, there was literally no response from North Korea. The current situation is definitely not good."

At the conference, Sumi Terry, Asia Program Director at the Woodrow Wilson Center, expressed concern, saying, "The current international situation is not only characterized by intensified U.S.-China competition but also by the global division due to the Ukraine war and the close relationship between China and Russia," adding, "This has created a favorable environment for North Korea to test and develop its nuclear missile program."

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