[N. Korea] US Researcher:N. Korea's 3rd Nuke Test Likely to be HEU

Arirang News ^ | 06/06/11

[TigerLikesRooster]

US Researcher:N. Korea's 3rd Nuke Test Likely to be HEU

A senior US researcher says it is highly likely Pyeongyang will test a highly enriched uranium bomb for its third nuclear test and that Kim Jong-il will never give up nuclear weapons.

At the 2011 Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore Sunday, Jonathan Pollack of the Brookings Institute wrote in a report that North Korea has a well planned nuclear program that the leadership deems a vital component of the regime's survival.

Saying neither the US nor China can force North Korea to give up nuclear weapons, Pollack added that Pyeongyang's dependence on the weapons began with the normalization of Seoul-Beijing relations.

From the American side, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, also at the annual dialogue, said Washington does not intend to force a change in leadership or cause trouble for Pyeongyang.

[Interview : Robert Gates, US Defense Secretary] "The United States has no interest in regime change. We have no interest in destabilizing North Korea. What we do have an interest in, is developing a relationship where North Korea relationships using, we hope, the group of six to get the North Koreans to live by the same rules of international engagement that anybody else does."

And China's defense minister said. as Pyeongyang's benefactor, Beijing is doing its best to rein in North Korea, even behind closed curtains, unknown to the others in the international community.

[Interview : Liang Guanglie, Chinese Defense Minister] "The efforts we are putting into North Korea are a lot more than you can imagine, including through the working level, the six-party talks, foreign ministry, China's leaders and various channels. We have to persuade them to not do anything risky."

JUN 06, 2011

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[AmericanInTokyo]

I have heard Pollack speak in person. Seems to know his stuff, although if I am not mistaken, he is more of a Middle East expert....

[TigerLikesRooster]

You know, many of current NK experts used to be experts on something else. Eberstadt used to be a expert on Japan (maybe still is.)

[Tainan]

And China's defense minister said. as Pyeongyang's benefactor, Beijing is doing its best to rein in North Korea, even behind closed curtains, unknown to the others in the international community.

[Interview : Liang Guanglie, Chinese Defense Minister] "The efforts we are putting into North Korea are a lot more than you can imagine, including through the working level, the six-party talks, foreign ministry, China's leaders and various channels. We have to persuade them to not do anything risky."

Translation:

"Look, we told the crazy bastard that his sh!t was weak and that we were tired of it. He told us "YOU CRAZY TOO! I GOTTA DO WHAT I GOTTA DO!"

"We think he is just full blown bull goose looney and have cut him off."

end translation.

[Diogenesis]

The Koreans make an Albright-class Terrorist Weapon.