Taeyoungho: "'Pacific Shooting Range' Remark Means Proposing Nuclear Arms Reduction Talks with the US"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Tae Yong-ho, a member of the People Power Party and former North Korean diplomat, analyzed North Korea's recent provocations and statement announcements as sending a message to "hold nuclear arms reduction talks with the United States."

On the 20th, Tae said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Kim Yo-jong, the Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, made a very meaningful remark. She said that they can now also fire toward the Pacific, and the Pacific means the United States," he said.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In a statement that morning, Deputy Director Kim sent a message aimed at the United States, saying, "The frequency of using the Pacific as our shooting range depends on the nature of the U.S. military's actions." She said, "Although the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) has not yet reached the United States, now they are watching the U.S. actions and saying, 'We will fire even in front of our Pacific,' or something like that. This was this morning's statement."

Tae pointed out that in Deputy Director Kim's statement the previous day, she mentioned, "There will be no case of the ICBM targeting Seoul," explaining, "Since the ICBM is aimed at the U.S., Kim also said yesterday, 'There will be no firing toward Seoul.' This is about the U.S., so this issue should be resolved with the United States."

Tae warned that if the U.S. accepts North Korea's "nuclear arms reduction proposal" and proceeds with talks, it could lead to a difficult situation for South Korea. He said, "There is a growing argument in the U.S. that 'Now is the right time to make a deal with North Korea because their ICBM is still incomplete,' urging President Biden to engage in nuclear arms reduction talks," adding, "If the U.S. falls into North Korea's strategy and really goes to nuclear arms reduction talks, it will be a very difficult situation for us."

Accepting "nuclear arms reduction talks" essentially means recognizing North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons. Tae said, "Nuclear arms reduction talks are held among countries that possess nuclear weapons. This means recognizing the nuclear weapons," and added, "I'm worried that the U.S. might actually accept North Korea's nuclear arms reduction talks."

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