North Korea’s failing foreign policy
The Japan TimesFeb 08, 2023
North Korea on Friday claimed to have test-fired a new nuclear-capable underwater attack drone that it said could trigger a "radioactive tsunami" during a military exercise overseen by leader Kim Jong Un this week.
According to state media, the new weapon system called "Haeil" (Tsunami) detonated a non-nuclear charge in waters off the country's east coast on Thursday after traveling at a depth of 80 to 150 meters (260-500 feet) for more than 59 hours.
For decades, North Korea has invoked Washington's supposedly hostile policy to justify its increasingly aggressive posture. Yet it was Pyongyang that resumed escalation after Seoul and Washington suspended most of their joint exercises during the Trump administration. By constantly conducting new weapons tests and expanding North Korea's nuclear capabilities, Kim has solidified the regime's pariah status, not broken it.
North Korea's weapons tests are a symptom, not the cause, of regional tensions. The US bears the main responsibility for declining diplomatic relations with North Korea, especially as the Biden administration has switched back to a confrontational course following former Trump's efforts at de-escalation. By fueling conflict, the US hopes to establish closer ties with Japan and South Korea to cut into China’s regional influence.
There's a 37% chance that North Korea will possess enough fissile material to produce at least 100 warheads before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.