American air strikes on Iranian nuclear installations will have strengthened the perception of North Korea according to which the possession of nuclear weapons is essential to its survival and could even encourage Pyongyang to accelerate the development of its nuclear capacities, warned South Korean experts.
President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the United States had made “massive precision strikes” on three Iranian nuclear sites – Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan – which “completely and completely erased” the main nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran.
The attack on Iranian nuclear sites marks the first American offensive Military action in the War of Israel with Iran – a major escalation in tensions in the Middle East – which, South Korean analysts, will warn North Korea more and more resistant to any diplomatic effort or talks aimed at convincing Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program.
“North Korea had to think that it was a good idea to have nuclear weapons after seeing the American air strike on Iranian nuclear installations,” said Jeong Seong-Jang, deputy director of the Sejong Institute on Monday.
In a statement on Monday, a spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry criticized the American air strike on Iranian nuclear installations, claiming that it “raped the United Nations Charter and international law, which have the basic principle of respect for sovereignty and non-interference in domestic affairs,” said the central press agency in North Korea.
Despite calls from the United States and its allies to denuclearization, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Press so that his country strengthens its nuclear capacities to defend itself, warning earlier this year that “the confrontation with the most vicious hostile countries is inevitable”. Although the “hostile countries” were not appointed, North Korea concerns the United States and its ally, South Korea, as its main enemies.
In 2003, North Korea withdrew after accessing the Treaty on Nuclear Weapons (TNP), shortly after the United States invaded Iraq. He cited concerns at the time that the United States provided a preventive strike against Pyongyang.
“North Korea is (probably) concerned that if it abandons its nuclear weapons, it will be found in a situation similar to Iran and will not accept future proposals for discussion.”
He warned that strikes could even encourage North Korea – which carried out its first underground nuclear test in 2006 – to accelerate the development of nuclear submarines in order to guarantee so -called “second strike” capacities – or the ability to launch nuclear reprisals after a so -called preventive.
Other South Korean experts have echoed similar concerns.
“Kim Jong will probably order the resettlement, hiding place and the concealment of nuclear installations, as well as the expansion of air defense systems,” said Sookmyung Women University.
In an article on social networks, Kim Dong-Yop, professor at the University of North Korean studies, argued that the American strikes would lead to North Korea more to consolidate its perception more than “the only possession of nuclear weapons can lead to survival” and provide an essential validation to Pyongyang to keep its nuclear arsenal.
Since 2006, North Korea has tested nuclear devices six times and has developed missiles considered capable of reaching the American continent.
During his first mandate, Trump held historical heights with Kim Jong one, hoping that North Korea abandons its nuclear weapons in exchange for the relief of the sanctions, but his high -level diplomacy ultimately failed to achieve a breakthrough. The North continued to build its nuclear and missile programs.
The International Stockholm Peace Research Institute estimates that North Korea has gathered around 50 warheads and has enough fissile equipment to produce up to 40 additional warheads and accelerates the production of new fissile materials.
Earlier this year, Pyongyang reiterated that he did not intend to give up his nuclear program.
North Korea would now consider diplomatic engagement with the United States as “stupid” and any future negotiation of denuclearization as futile, wrote Kim Dong-Yop in an article on social networks on Sunday.
“North Korea will use the Iranian situation as an excuse to strengthen its criticism from the South US Korean Alliance and the South Korean-American security cooperation,” he added.
Written by Tenzin Pema. Edited by Mat Pennington.