Does North Korea pursue its nuclear program despite the US approach? | World

This information raises doubts about the sincerity of the Asian country during the recent negotiations with the Americans in which it committed to its denuclearization.

According to the US press, the Yongbyon Nuclear Enrichment Unit, the only officially recognized, is being upgraded. 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 increased the production of solid fuel missiles, which are 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 the meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un," says Vipin Narang. , MIT professor of political science and 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) would never be unilateral and immediate," says Narang. "So Kim Jong-un is free to continue operating in existing locations."

Still, many have seen reports that North Korea is maintaining its nuclear activities as a bucket of cold water in negotiations and has doubts about the real intentions of the country. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un (Photo: Reuters / Jonathan Ernst) "North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un (Photo: Reuters / Jonathan Ernst)" src = "data: image / jpeg; base64, / 9j / 4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD / 2wBDAAMCAgMCAgMDAwMEAwMEBQgFBQQEBQoHBwYIDAoMDAsKCwsNDhIQDQ4RDgsLEBYQERMUFRUVDA8XGBYUGBIUFRT / 2wBDAQMEBAUEBQkFBQkUDQsNFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBT / wgARCAARABkDASIAAhEBAxEB / 8QAGQAAAgMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYDBQcE / 8QAGAEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAYBAwX / 2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAWNaRkcFh2u6yKzndT1wL0btnAVh / 8QAHxAAAgICAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwUABAIGARMUFTM0 / 9oACAEBAAEFAmS / G4J4TN3KXSAo8spmz7LZMVc2OpMi2K1mPvq0L9PMTeqf / 8QAJhEAAAQEBAcAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFEUESITHwFDJRYXHB4f / + aAAgBAwEBPwHiYVslIJFcRZn835EFM5bDME29jIrU076Xy93ChKuVW the 8QAHhEAAQQBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQACBDERAxIUIUH // / // 2gAIAQIBAT8BxquA7qlwpUo724JTPVItf EADEQAAECAgYEDwAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwARBAUSEyExInGT8BAUIzIzNENRYXOBkbGz0f / aAAgBAQAGPwJhJUEqCsRY0yiWOvDH37oZZotlq5cvnHH1WwDKUx4Q4unzWl9V1eURWGi ciNUjHRU / AJH rGSeLtqtLO + Q + / TC nKPZmpNkhWUorBh7l2ii9mU80hXxjL1jqqtsYr3ftRBisvIH2I4P / xAAhEAEAAQQABwEAAAAAAAAAAAABEQAhMUEgUWFxgcHwsf / aAAgBAQABPyGbBLNCt0RJ3jRvdWgY69oJQtgkgDfY7gTz6V916pRdIbokTDofw3Qey2deFMxEuQGA903T4D1wouH / 2gAMAwEAAgADAAAAEFxY3f / EABsRAQEAAgMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERACExQbHw / 9oACAEDAQE / EBtkBVIyMiOre6qLnBU5SunjRMEWu6aUZ0 7c83uP + // EAB4RAQABBAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERADFRsSFBocHw / 9oACAECAQE / EJ2RvHm tUquLhlBMXjhliMJ1Xo0VZ + + XX // EAB8QAQEAAgIBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAERITEAEFFBYXGxwf / aAAgBAQABPxAtg61DWYKG0e0StG6UxeOYVwkgReQyAoyYUKrvPR1GJxIusO9xGIroIR7ykVWQSHDkj5uHhNAik3Q2NysGcE4Z + / + w1 + B 9iv / Z " /> [1"ThecurrentscenarioisthattheNorthKoreanCorporationProgramiscontinuingasaresultofKimJong-undanscontentofCanadaJusticewhentherequestcontinuedcontinuedproductionandballisticemissiles"explainsAntennaPanaddreamwriterTheDiplomat

Trump con was this information born?

The information of the American intelligence 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 this, Trump may 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.

Will the pressure 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 no longer putting pressure on the country's sanctions campaign, and that the United States can not support it without China," said Narang.