The US needs to point much more loudly at what this bond means for the rest of us. Reprimands from the White House are disingenuous. It has already signalled these closer ties are unwelcome, and has talked about the repercussions and heavy price Pyongyang will pay if it continues.
But no one is listening, and the US is distracted. Chief among its preoccupations is countering Beijing, what policymakers see as the US’s single most important existential dilemma.
IGNORING NORTH KOREA THREAT IS FOOLISH
Yet ignoring the Pyongyang threat is foolish. Denuclearisation negotiations have stalled and sanctions aren’t working.
Despite being among the poorest countries in the world, North Korea still spends nearly 20 per cent to 30 per cent of gross domestic product on its military. It is also developing weapons at an unprecedented rate, with some estimates saying it now has over 100 nuclear warheads, and has the ability to launch an attack on South Korea and on US forces based there.
The threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea is now a reality and not something that the Biden administration can stall away by defaulting to more sanctions.
Kim was joined by two guests at a recent military parade in Pyongyang, Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, and Li Hongzhong, a member of the Communist Party of China’s 24-member Politburo. This new love triangle is what he is betting on “to end its isolation with strengthened partnerships that will enable a bigger breakout,” as Jonathan Corrado, director of policy for the New York-based Korea Society writes.
Source: CNA
