The leader of South Africa who gave weapons to Nukes says that North Korea is a different story

Kim Young-nam, a Korean VOA journalist, spoke Friday to former South African President FW de Klerk of North Korea's denuclearization process and its comparison with that of Africa. from South. As President of South Africa, Klerk has ordered the end of the country's nuclear weapons program and oversaw its nuclear disarmament process.

Q: Under your presidency (1989-94), South Africa managed to denuclearize. Often, the North Korean case is compared to the South African model since South Africa was the only country to possess nuclear weapons and dismantle. I would like to ask how difficult it will be or how long for the international community to denuclearize North Korea.

A: The circumstances in South Africa in 1989 and in North Korea are now completely different. The threat to South Africa that led us to develop nuclear weapons disappeared as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the withdrawal of Cuban forces from Angola, independence process in Namibia and our own initiatives to solve our problems. democratic negotiations. In addition, the South African government, which then represented the minority communities, was a democracy that operated with regular elections, an effective parliament, and independent tribunals.

Our main challenge at that time was to extend non-racial democracy to all our peoples. We clearly had an interest in dismantling our nuclear capacity because of its expenses and because we wanted to join the international community as quickly as possible.

I do not think the situation in North Korea is the same. Kim Jong Un is a totalitarian dictator. His main interest is to ensure the continuation of his dynastic reign – and he considers his nuclear weapons as an important currency of exchange in this process. He also wants to end the sanctions that paralyze the North Korean economy. As a result, I think that it is unlikely that he will give up his nuclear weapons unless it is absolutely certain that there will be no threat to his regime – but it will continue to negotiate for the elimination of all or part of the nuclear weapons.

Q: South Africa voluntarily dismantles its nuclear weapons and invites international inspectors to check. Do you think it is possible to denuclearize and verify North Korea if Pyongyang does not want to cooperate fully with the international community as did South Africa? There are also many who are pessimistic that the North is abandoning all weapons, do you have the same concerns?

To: It will be essential to involve the IAEA in any dismantling process – such as South Africa – to ensure that the destruction of all nuclear weapons and all fissile products are meticulously monitored and controlled. The test of North Korea's sincerity in dismantling its nuclear capacity will depend on its willingness to submit to international controls. I do not think he will do it until it is completely certain that his long-term security and the interests of the dynasty have been guaranteed.

Q: South Africa has taken the important decision to denuclearize and I would like to ask the reasons for making such a decision. In addition, North Korea calls for a peace treaty or security guarantees before it can denuclearize. Do you think that North Korea will follow the same path with South Africa that it will give up weapons when it will no longer believe that its security is no longer threatened or do you think that it is not safe? she's just trying to buy time?

To: As noted above, we decided to dismantle our nuclear weapons because the threats that led us to develop them had disappeared in 1989. A major factor was the collapse of the 39 Soviet Union – and our tripartite agreement with Angola and Cuba in 1988 on the withdrawal of 50,000 Cuban soldiers from Angola. It must be remembered that in October 1987, our armed forces were in direct conflict with the Angolan forces led by Cubans and Soviets during the Battle of the Lomba River. The battle was probably the biggest battle of Africa since the Second World War and resulted in the destruction of 93 tanks built by the Soviets. The tripartite agreement paved the way for the implementation of Namibia's independence plan in 1989 and the resolution of another long-standing dispute between South Africa and South Africa. the international community. I also believed that the constitutional negotiations that I planned to launch in early 1990 would resolve all tensions between South Africa and our neighbors in southern Africa. The dispensation of nuclear weapons has also helped accelerate our reintegration into the international community – and has saved us the considerable expense involved in developing and sustaining nuclear weapons.

Q: What kind of a recommendation would you give? you to President Trump and Kim Jong Un as they work on the denuclearization of North Korea? Do you have any concerns about nuclear proliferation in Asia, such as South Korea and Japan, if the international community accepts North Korea as a de facto nuclear state like India and Pakistan? Similarly, the United States tried to punish and put pressure on India and Pakistan while they were building nuclear arsenals, but their relations with the United States improved or the United States became more competitive. hostility has decreased once nuclear programs have been fully developed. give North Korea the security guarantees it needs, and the enormous benefits of ending the sanctions and reintegrating the international economic community – in other words – along the same path as China and the United States. Vietnam have taken these past decades. 19659005] The risk of nuclear proliferation in Asia will increase to the extent that the countries concerned feel threatened by existing nuclear States and to the extent that they perceive that in the future they will no longer benefit from the protection of the American nuclear umbrella.