US Official: "North Korean Nuclear Threat... Priority on Deterrence in the Korean Peninsula"

"Continued Cooperation with the International Community to Curb North Korea's WMD Ambitions"
Also Highlights North Korea's Use of Chemical Weapons, Including the Assassination of Kim Jong-nam

Jennifer Walsh Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, United States [Photo by U.S. Department of Defense website]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Jennifer Walsh, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the United States, expressed concern that North Korea's nuclear and biochemical weapons threaten international stability and weaken the global non-proliferation regime.

On the 4th (local time), Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Walsh stated this in written testimony submitted to the House Armed Services Committee's Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee hearing. Walsh is responsible for homeland defense and global security.

She pointed out, "North Korea's capabilities pose a threat to U.S. forces, allies, and partners and violate multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions."

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Walsh also emphasized that considering North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un's risk of using weapons of mass destruction (WMD) during conflicts on the Korean Peninsula, the (U.S.-South Korea) combined forces must be prepared for WMD-related emergencies operating in environments contaminated by chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons.

She explained that the U.S. is cooperating with South Korea to enhance decontamination capabilities to support an improved CBRN deterrence posture on the Korean Peninsula.

She added, "As the threat from North Korea's WMD programs persists and grows, the Department of Defense will continue to work with international partners to deter and delay North Korea's WMD ambitions."

She also stated, "The Department of Defense prioritizes improving CBRN deterrence capabilities, personnel, and equipment in the European Command area of responsibility and on the Korean Peninsula."

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Walsh pointed out that North Korea recently used chemical weapons for assassination, likely referring to the 2017 assassination of Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia.

She further raised strong concerns about China, saying, "Chinese entities and individuals continue to transfer proliferation-sensitive materials to North Korea, Iran, and other threat actors," and "China has shown lax enforcement of export controls and multilateral sanctions aimed at preventing such transfers."

Brandy Van, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Nuclear and Chemical Defense Program, said, "We face unprecedented WMD threats," citing threats from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and violent extremist organizations.

He said, "We are engaging with counterparts in the defense ministries of South Korea and Japan to find ways to support their requirements for chemical weapons destruction through research and development as well as capacity building."

Timothy Semansky, Deputy Commander of the Special Operations Command, assessed, "North Korea appears to possess nuclear and biological weapons and also maintains a chemical warfare program."

He stated, "It is almost certain that North Korea continues to acquire foreign-made items for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs as well as other materials to support the production and research of biochemical weapons."