Despite North Korea’s moratorium on testing its most advanced missiles for the past two years, Pyongyang never stopped its attempts to develop powerful new weapons, experts told The Washington Post on Wednesday.
The country’s recent surge in publically-announced testing appears to have confirmed this belief, with some experts saying North Korea has even managed to expand its arsenal since engaging in nuclear diplomacy with the Trump administration.
“No one thinks they developed all these systems in a few months,” said Prof. Jeffrey Lewis, a weapons expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, explaining that all indications are that “North Korea’s nuclear and missile facilities kept operating during the moratoria.”
Lewis said that the North Korean leadership has “built up capabilities over time, and they choose to reveal them when it’s politically desirable.”
Another expert, Robert Litwak, director of international security studies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said these tests are not only intended to convince the Trump administration to make concessions in the negotiations but “It would be a way of highlighting our vulnerability — to show they have the range to reach" the United States.
That vulnerability, experts say, was especially showcased in North Korea’s test a few months ago involving solid-fuel missiles. This was particularly worrisome because they can be hidden and launched with little warning, unlike liquid-fueled missiles, which are easier to be spotted in advance because they must be filled before launch.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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