North Korea Abandons Decades-Long Quest For US Relations, Says Nuclear Expert: 'Sanctions Have Worked The Other Way Around'

North Korea has reportedly ceased its pursuit of establishing formal diplomatic ties with the United States, shifting focus towards allies China and Russia.

According to a Nikkei Asia report, nuclear expert Siegfried Hecker revealed that North Korea is reorienting its diplomatic posture due to mounting international sanctions. Hecker, a prominent figure with hands-on experience in North Korea’s nuclear facilities, made the announcement at a news conference.

Hecker, the former Los Alamos National Laboratory director and Stanford University professor emeritus, has visited North Korean nuclear sites multiple times between 2004 and 2010. He suggests that the U.N. and individual countries’ economic sanctions have pushed North Korea closer to China, rather than achieving their aim of isolation.

“The sanctions have actually worked the other way around. Sanctioning the economy, I believe, has turned North Korea more toward China,” he said.

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North Korea’s state media recently boasted its nuclear program had reached “the world’s strongest level,” despite not conducting a test since 2017.

Recent satellite imagery analysis by the North Korea affairs website 38 North pointed to renovations and new construction at the country’s main nuclear production base, suggesting expanded nuclear capabilities.

Furthermore, international sanctions appear to be financially impacting North Korea, with recent reports of planned closures of its diplomatic outposts in various countries. This, according to Hecker, is indicative of a strategic pivot towards traditional allies and a grim short-term outlook for denuclearization talks.

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