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'Kim Jong Un is not a rational person,' says US ambassador to UN

'Kim Jong Un is not a rational person,' says US ambassador to UN

Posted March. 10, 2017 07:14,   

Updated March. 10, 2017 07:20

한국어

“All options are on the table in reviewing how to deal with North Korea,” said Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, on Wednesday, adding, “We are not dealing with a rational person.”

On Wednesday morning, Ambassador Haley attended the UN Security Council emergency meeting to discuss the issues over North Korea’s missile capabilities at the New York UN headquarters and had a joint press conference with South Korean Ambassador Cho Tae-yul and Japan’s UN ambassador Koro Bessho, where she said, “They (North Korea) said that their goal is to be able to reach U.S. bases in Japan. This is not something we can take lightly.” The American ambassador further stressed that “Every country needs to respond to the action of North Korea.”

“We are not dealing with a rational person. If this was any other country, we would be talking about that, and it wouldn’t be an issue. (But) This is not a rational person,” she said in a response to China’s proposal to offer opportunities for talks and negotiations to Pyongyang. While the ambassador did not mention the name of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, her remarks implied that she holds the view that Kim is not able to think clearly.

In a forum titled “Understanding of North Korea’s Political System,” which took place on the same day at the Woodrow Wilson Center, however, Robert Carlin, a former U.S. government intelligence analyst, claimed that “Kim Jong Un is normal.”

In addition, Celeste Arrington, a professor of George Washington University, argued that the assignation of his half-brother Kim Jong Nam and the frequent purges of high-ranking officials in Pyongyang are indicative of Kim Jong Un’s strong hold on power.



Hyong-gwon Pu bookum90@donga.com · Seung-Heon Lee ddr@donga.com