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.

See Also: Former Police Sergeant At Jan. 6 Riot Slams Trump, Says Closure Includes Seeing Ex-president In Jail: ‘He

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.

Read Next: 2 Other Democrats Running For President, But Only One ‘Has The Guts’ To Announce It: John Fetterman’s Dig At California Governor Newsom

Photo by Alexander Khitrov on Shutterstock


Engineered by Benzinga Neuro, Edited by Pooja Rajkumari


The GPT-4-based Benzinga Neuro content generation system exploits the extensive Benzinga Ecosystem, including native data, APIs, and more to create comprehensive and timely stories for you. Learn more.


Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
Comments
Loading...
Posted In: NewsPoliticsGeneralChinaNorth KoreaRussiaUS
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!