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US intelligence documents, which have just been released, suggest that North Korea continues to invest in its nuclear enrichment program.
North Korean rocket
This information raises doubts about the sincerity of the Asian country in the recent negotiations with the Americans in which it began its denuclearization.
According to US press, the enrichment unit The Yongbyon Nuclear Power Plant, the only officially recognized, would be improved. In addition, the country would intensify uranium enrichment in two or more secret units, located in the vicinity of Yongbyon.
North Korea would still produce launchers for its missiles. And it would have extended the production of solid fuel-based missiles, easier to transport and launch.
But what is the reliability of this information? They are based on several sources of US intelligence, kept confidential, as well as a satellite imagery study of the Yongbyon area. North Korean experts found the information reliable.
"None of these activities would violate the agreements reached at a meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un," said Vipin Narang, professor of political science at MIT and an expert in nuclear proliferation.
In the agreements with the United States, North Korea has only agreed to seek the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The details of how this would happen in practice would still be defined on both sides.
"This (denuclearization) will never be unilateral and immediate," says Narang. "So Kim Jong-un is free to continue operating in existing locations."
Nevertheless, much information has seen that North Korea maintains its nuclear activities as a bucket of cold water in negotiations and raises doubts "
" The current scenario is that the program North Korea's nuclear continues as Kim Jong-un said in his January speech when he demanded continued production of warheads and ballistic missiles, "said Ankit Panda, editor of The magazine. Diplomat.
Trump knew this information?
The information from the US Secret Service is probably not new. It is possible that Trump was informed before the round of negotiations with North Korea.
So, why was the information leaked to the media right now? "It seems like an attempt to bring this news into the public sphere," says Abrahamian.
According to the experts, there are two hypotheses. First of all, the information leak would aim to "contain the White House's official account that the mission was completed and that North Korea has ceased to be a nuclear threat," Narang said. With that, Trump can be forced "not to declare a victory that he has not yet reached," Abrahamian acknowledges. "It increases the pressure so that Trump does not take it lightly with the North Koreans."
The second hypothesis is that the leak would have been coordinated by the Trump government itself to put pressure on North Korea. By revealing that US intelligence would have such information, Americans could put pressure on North Koreans to recognize that they have secret operations.
Is the pressure going to work?
The big question is whether this kind of pressure on North Korea, after the meeting with the United States, could have an effect on Kim Jong-un. Reports that North Korea is pursuing its nuclear program suggest that the country should not abandon its nuclear facilities or its weapons production.
"It may be that North Korea calculates that China is not" Kim Jong-a can say, "I did what I needed to reduce the campaign" Narang said. sanctions. "
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