North Korean chief Kim Jong Un “probably” will check a nuclear machine once more in his drive to construct a nuclear arsenal that he sees as “the ultimate guarantor” of his rule, a US intelligence report stated Wednesday.
Kim is also prone to proceed firing nuclear-capable missiles in an effort “to normalize Pyongyang’s missile testing,” the 2023 Annual Threat Assessment report stated.
North Korea has performed six nuclear checks since 2006, with every blast growing in depth. Its final nuclear check was in 2017.
“North Korea probably is preparing to test a nuclear device to further its stated military modernization goals,” stated the report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
“Kim almost certainly views nuclear weapons and ICBMs as the ultimate guarantor of his autocratic rule and has no intention of abandoning those programs, believing that over time he will gain international acceptance as a nuclear power,” the report stated.
North Korea funds its nuclear applications partly from the proceeds of prison exercise, together with cryptocurrency theft, it stated.
“In one heist in 2022, Pyongyang stole a record $625 million from a Singapore-based blockchain technology firm,” it stated.
In latest years, it has test-fired intercontinental and ballistic missiles at an more and more brisk tempo, firing greater than 60 of them final 12 months alone.
In the previous six months, North Korea “timed its missile launches” to coincide with joint US-South Korea army workouts.
“Pyongyang probably wants the alliance to decrease the pace and scale of the exercises with the ultimate goal of undermining the strength” of US-South Korea protection ties, the report stated.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
