In response to the US release of a report claiming that a North Korean nuclear attack would lead to the regime’s demise, US experts assessed it as “reaffirming a strong extended deterrent on the alliance.”
Christopher Johnston, former director of East Asia at the National Security Council (NSC) at the White House, said in a phone call with Voice of America (VOA) that “any nuclear attack from North Korea will help deter North Korea with the message that will lead to the end of the regime “, reported on the 30th.
Johnston said: “Not ruling out the possibility of using nuclear weapons against other North Korean attacks (other than nuclear attacks) will also be a very positive message for South Korea and Japan.”
David Maxwell, senior researcher at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy, also said the report “covers all measures related to the Korean peninsula, such as the importance of an alliance, extended deterrence, denuclearization and the deployment of resources. strategic “. he said VOA.
“In order for Kim Jong-un to understand the message that any use of weapons of mass destruction means the end of the regime, US and South Korean officials should continue to mention and re-emphasize this message,” Maxwell said.
Andrew Yeo, president of Korea at the Brookings Institution, said the Pentagon took into account North Korea’s nuclear force laws, including the preventive use of nuclear weapons, when preparing the report.
“It is rare for the US government to openly threaten the survival of other regimes, but this demonstrates the US commitment to denuclearization and to providing extended deterrence,” the VOA said.
Bruce Bennett, senior researcher at the Rand Institute, a military expert, said: “The first mention of North Korea’s destruction if it uses nuclear weapons came from the Donald Trump administration in 2018. assessed.
There was also an opinion that it should be noted that “the goal for the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula” was specified in this report.
“This means that the United States will not give up on its ultimate goal of denuclearization, although many believe it is unlikely to be achieved in the near future,” former White House WMD coordinator Gary Seymour told VOA.
Earlier, in the “2022 Nuclear Posture Report” released on 27, the US Department of Defense stated: “There is no scenario where the Kim (Jung Eun) (North Korea) regime can survive using nuclear weapons”. and it will lead to the end of the regime ”.
“In addition to using nuclear weapons, North Korea can launch a rapid strategic strike in East Asia,” the report said.
/ yunhap news
