After North Korea today openly boasted of having an ICBM “tipped with super-large heavy warhead” that could reach any part of the United States, former deputy commander of the strategic planning department of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Shin Won-sik, said that he did not believe his Northern neighbor’s claims.
“I don’t believe their claim that they have achieved nuclear missile capability. North Korea has not shown any evidence or data proving they have obtained the reentry technology, so I don’t think North Korea has yet completed its nuclear program.”
However, Shin also admitted that, in time, North Korea could develop it, considering the resources being poured into the rogue nation’s weapons program.
Some North Korea experts are saying that having nuclear capabilities against the United States could actually open a pathway for dialogue between the two nations-at-odds.
An Intercontinental Ballistic Missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to any corner of the United States will give North Korea a strong position from which to negotiate.
But Shin is not the only one who doubts that North Korea can actually mobilize such a weapon at this point.
Diplomacy is being widely advocated as the only plausible choice for a resolution to this ongoing dispute.
Military options are still being kept open, at least by all indications given by President Trump. However, even senior military officials in the United States are clear about not executing “illegal” nuclear strikes against any nation even if direct orders were to come from Trump.
