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S.K. should not conclude on Kim Jong Un’s claim over ‘hydrogen bomb’

S.K. should not conclude on Kim Jong Un’s claim over ‘hydrogen bomb’

Posted December. 12, 2015 10:30,   

한국어

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reported on Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said, “(Due to Kim Jong Il) our fatherland was able to become a powerful country possessing nuclear weapons that can sound massive exploding sound of nuclear bomb and hydrogen bomb.” It is the first time Kim Jong Un has openly mentioned a hydrogen bomb. If the North actually possesses a hydrogen bomb, whose explosive force amounts to hundreds of times that of a nuclear bomb, the North’s threat toward the South will inevitably be in a completely different dimension than the situation thus far. Kim made the remarks while taking an inspection visit to the historic sites of Pyongchon Revolution at Pyongyang Weapons Factory, which recently completed renovation work, and the South is curious to know what is motive behind Kim’s claim just one day ahead of talks between the authorities of the two Koreas.

The White House said that Washington is quite doubtful over the claim, adding that it is taking very seriously Pyongyang’s ambition to develop nuclear weapons. Some U.S. experts judge materials that are used in production of hydrogen bomb are being used to expand explosive force of the existing nuclear bombs. “We judge that the North has yet to secure technology to produce a hydrogen bomb," the South Korean intelligence agency said, downplaying the North’s report by noting. “The claim is more of rhetoric.” With South Korea depending on U.S. intelligence in monitoring the North’s nuclear development, it is worrisome that Seoul is making an overly hasty conclusion.

In May 2010, the North had claimed that they succeeded in (testing) nuclear fission reaction. Considering that about three to five years for a country possessing nuclear weapons are needed to develop a hydrogen bomb after the former, we cannot decisively conclude that Pyongyang would not have reached that level just yet. The South does not need to overreact to the claim, but it is not wise to downplay the claim either. Some analysts say that the North has made remarks on the hydrogen bomb in a bid to secure Washington`s change of Pyongyang policy after flatly rejecting Pyongyang’s proposal to hold talks over peace treaty. In order for the South to adequately cope with the North’s evolving nuclear threats, Seoul should beef up cooperation with Washington, which provides Seoul nuclear umbrella.

At talks between the South and North Korean authorities held at Kaesong on Friday, South Korean Vice Unification Minister Hwang Bu-ki met his counterpart Jon Jong Su, vice director-general of the Committee for the Peaceful Unification of Fatherland, a position that is lower than Hwang’s. The North has not changed from its past practice while Pyongyang is asking Seoul for favors including the resumption of South Koreans’ tour to Mount Kumgang in the North, the former continues to display unnecessary self-esteem. It is positive that the two Koreas hold dialogue to implement their August 25 agreement, but only when Seoul accurately sees the true nature of Pyongyang, then will the former avoid repeating the recurring failures in past inter-Korean dialogue.