Is military support from the U.S. always reliable?

Is military support from the U.S. always reliable?. October. 18, 2016 07:27. by 윤상호군사전문기자ysh1005@donga.com .

It is indisputable even among military experts that Pyongyang’s ultimate goal is to secure nuclear capabilities to strike mainland U.S. Indeed, over the past 20 years, North Korea has been obsessed with miniaturization of nuclear warheads and development of ICBM-grade long-range missiles. Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed in person the experiment of an ICBM rocket engine. “Kim Jong Un is considering the ICBM capable of striking mainland U.S. as “joker” of the nuclear game that the regime is playing against America,” said an official from the South Korean military. In other words, such a capability is considered as the best hand the rogue nation is dealt in applying a diplomatic pressure against the U.S. in both strategic and tactical ways.

The North considers ICBMs-loaded with nuclear warheads as the key to establishing its status as a nuclear state. Possession of Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles loaded with nuclear warheads can put any country in the state of a “nuclear state.” In fact, only five nations in the world (U.S., Russia, China, U.K., and France) are in possession of nuclear weapons. It appears that the North is considering the possibility of being recognized as a “de facto” nuclear state like India or Pakistan once it has deployed ICBMs loaded with nuclear missiles for real battles, which will allow the international community very little room to maneuver.

“North Korea will likely to go down the path of maximizing diplomatic and economic benefits at the expense of nuclear disarmament negotiations with the U.S. after securing the recognition as a “de facto nuclear state,” said an official from the South Korean Defense Ministry. Experts speculate that the North Korean regime will take this opportunity to solidify its legitimacy and gain the upper hand against the U.S. and South Korea in handling nuclear negotiations.

ICBMs loaded with nuclear warheads are also a strong means to deter the Extended Deterrence that the U.S. holds against the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. has made it clear that any nuclear attack from the North to the South will be deemed to be an attack against the U.S. mainland, and that it will take both retaliatory and punitive measures against such an attack by fully mobilizing its nuclear and conventional forces. Some experts point out, however, that it is doubtful if such a pledge of extended deterrence can be honored if the ICBMs from Pyongyang are aimed at Washington or New York. “Kim Jong Un must be bent on neutralizing the extended deterrence from the U.S. by annihilating U.S. cities with a nuclear fission bomb or hydrogen bomb on ICBMs,” said a South Korean military official.