"North Korea Likely to Conduct Military Provocations After U.S. Presidential Election"

North Korea unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of targeting the U.S. mainland at the military parade commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party on the 10th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Hana Na] Experts in the United States are predicting that North Korea will carry out threatening provocations again using various strategic weapons after the U.S. presidential election on November 3.

According to RFA (Radio Free Asia) on the 24th, Bruce Klingner, a senior researcher at the Heritage Foundation, a U.S. private research institute, argued in a recent article on the institute's website that the new weapons North Korea showcased at the military parade on the 10th represent a new threat to the U.S. and its allies next year.

Researcher Klingner said, "The larger intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) than before, the mobile launchers that carry them, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) are evidence that North Korea has continued developing new weapons."

He emphasized that the U.S. government should not underestimate this, stating that it would be difficult for the U.S. to block North Korea’s new weapon attacks. He expressed concern, saying, "If North Korea, which already possesses ICBMs capable of striking the U.S. mainland, develops new missiles with multiple warheads to increase attack power, the current U.S. missile defense system may be insufficient to stop such attacks."

As a solution to prepare for North Korea’s military attacks, he argued, "Allied countries should consult and reorganize their missile defense systems."

Additionally, he pointed out the U.S. government's claim that the U.S. and North Korea maintain good relations even after North Korea revealed new weapons, criticizing the U.S. government's assertion that the threat from North Korea has decreased.

David Maxwell, a senior researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), predicted to RFA that regardless of the U.S. presidential election outcome, North Korea will send a strong message to the U.S. government through military threats early next year.

However, Maxwell said that since the weapons North Korea showcased at the recent parade have not yet been test-fired, it is premature to speculate on the new missile capabilities.

Maxwell analyzed that North Korea’s unveiling of new weapons is a threatening message to the U.S. and that North Korea will likely want to use this as a bargaining chip in U.S.-North Korea negotiations for lifting sanctions or withdrawing U.S. troops from South Korea once the new U.S. president’s term begins.

Doug Bandow, a researcher at the Cato Institute, predicted in an article for the foreign affairs magazine National Interest on the 18th that North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un might not keep promises after the U.S. presidential election.

Bandow argued that since achieving North Korea’s complete denuclearization, which the U.S. has pursued, is realistically difficult, formalizing a freeze or halt on North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests in the new year could be the starting point for negotiations.

Meanwhile, on the 10th, North Korea held a nighttime military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea, unveiling ICBMs, SLBMs, new tanks, and special forces equipped with the latest equipment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.