South Korea’s leader says North Korea wants to attract the attention of the United States by showing nuclear power

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s recent disclosure regarding nuclear facility was probably an attempt to get US attention before presidential elections, and the North is likely to stage major provocations such as a nuclear test explosion and a long-range missile test, says South Korea’s president.

President Yoon Suk Yeol shared his government’s assessment of North Korea’s latest moves with The Associated Press before leaving on Sunday for a three-nation trip that includes a stop in Laos for summits with Southeast Asian and other world leaders. Yoon announces that he will emphasize during meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that North Korea’s nuclear disarmament is necessary for peace in the region.

“At upcoming ASEAN-related summits, I will emphasize the importance of North Korea’s denuclearization as a precondition for realizing a free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” Yoon said in written responses to AP questions.

“This will send a clear signal that the international community will never tolerate North Korea’s reckless actions,” he said.

Concerns about North Korea have increased in recent weeks as the country revealed the secret uranium enrichment plant, by announcing the construction of more nuclear weapons and continuing his provocation missile tests. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to do just that destroy South Korea with its nuclear weapons if provoked.

Many foreign experts say North Korea ultimately hopes to use its expanded nuclear arsenal as leverage to obtain external concessions, such as sanctions relief, once a new U.S. president is elected. They say Kim is probably thinking about the Republican candidate winning Donald Trumpwhom he engaged in high-stakes nuclear diplomacy in 2018–2019 would have a better chance of getting what he wants than the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. During the campaign, Trump bragged about his own personal connections with Kim, while Harris said she would not “stick up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un who root for Trump.”

The Sept. 13 disclosure of information about the nuclear facility showed Kim’s opposition to U.S.-led efforts to eliminate his burgeoning nuclear program. It was North Korea’s first opening of a military-grade uranium plant since the country displayed it at its headquarters Yongbyon nuclear complex to visiting American scientists led by nuclear physicist Siegfried Hecker in 2010. Hecker stated that the centrifuge hall shown in the latest photos from North Korea is not the same one he saw in 2010.

“North Korea appears to have recently disclosed its nuclear facility to gain the attention of the United States and the international community in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election, and it is likely that North Korea will conduct additional provocations, such as future nuclear tests and intercontinental missile launches.” ballistic,” Yoon said.

Yoon did not clarify whether South Korea had detected any suspicious activity in North Korea that indicated its preparations for nuclear and ICBM tests. He said South Korea was closely monitoring North Korean movements through the combined intelligence and surveillance resources of South Korea and the United States.

North Korea has carried out six underground operations nuclear tests since 2006 and numerous ICBM test launches in recent years. The additional tests are likely aimed at further improving its nuclear and missile capabilities. Many observers estimate that North Korea does not yet have operational nuclear missiles that could reach the US continent, although it probably has some that could strike all of South Korea and Japan.

Since his inauguration in 2022, the conservative Yoon has made a stronger military alliance with the United States the center of his foreign policy to confront evolving nuclear threats from North Korea. He also took an important step towards moving beyond historical disputes with Japan and becoming stronger trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security partnership. Such moves enraged North Korea, which called Yoon a “traitor” and ignored his calls for dialogue.

There are some potential concerns about the South Korea-US alliance if Trump returns to the White House. He had previously asked South Korea to drastically increase its participation in the program cost of deploying US troops on your land. Some experts say Trump’s possible push for a new round of negotiations with Kim could complicate Yoon’s approach to North Korea’s nuclear program.

However, Yoon expressed confidence that the “iron” South Korea-US alliance will continue to grow steadily, regardless of the outcome of the US elections.

“There is strong bipartisan support in the United States for the ROK-US alliance,” Yoon said. “Many leading U.S. Democrats and Republicans have publicly stated their strong support for the alliance and continue to visit Korea for consultations to strengthen bilateral relations.”

ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, the formal name of South Korea.

Yoon also expressed confidence that South Korea and Japan will continue to strengthen their bilateral relations under the new Japanese cabinet led by the prime minister. Shigeru Ishiba, who took office last week. Yoon’s office said the two countries are considering holding a meeting between Yoon and Ishiba on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit.

Yoon said he believes North Korea’s nuclear threats against South Korea are intended to stoke internal divisions in South Korea and tighten domestic control amid heightened military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

“The North Korean regime’s claim that its nuclear development was never intended to target the ROK because we are one nation has been disproven,” Yoon said.

Asked about North Korea’s repeated firing garbage balloons towards South Korea, Yoon said that North Korea “will suffer consequences that will be difficult to endure” if the security of South Korean citizens is threatened. He did not explain what specific steps his government was considering.

Before visiting Laos, Yoon is scheduled to travel to the Philippines and Singapore.

At the ASEAN summits, Yoon said the key issue South Korea plans to address, other than North Korea’s nuclear program, is the establishment of the ROK-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He said South Korea will continue to expand cooperation with ASEAN in many areas such as politics, military exchanges, cybersecurity, environment and safety net against financial crises.