"North Korea's Kim Jong-un May Consider Trump Administration to Trouble Biden"

An expert on the Korean Peninsula from the United States has warned that North Korea may carry out limited military provocations ahead of the U.S. presidential election this November. It is a recommendation that the Joe Biden administration must further strengthen its deterrence against North Korea.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Sumi Terry, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), stated in an article for Foreign Affairs on the 16th (local time), "North Korea could go beyond mere shows of force and carry out limited but military attacks."

Researcher Terry diagnosed that "there is no sign that North Korea is preparing for all-out war," but recent rhetoric from North Korean Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un suggests the possibility of smaller-scale attacks rather than full-scale war. She also evaluated, "Chairman Kim may think that by provoking (through attacks), he can put President Biden in a difficult position and promote the return of former President Donald Trump."

She emphasized, "Historically, North Korea has shown more willingness to negotiate when sanctions were effective, and when they were not, it tended to lean more toward isolation, (nuclear) proliferation, and provocations," adding, "Now is not the time to ease sanctions; in fact, it is time to strengthen them." She continued, "President Biden must double efforts to defend South Korea and also strengthen defense cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo."

Regarding cooperation with South Korea, Researcher Terry suggested, "President Biden can provide South Korea with more real-time data and information and cooperate in developing weapons utilizing missile defense systems, surveillance equipment, drones, and artificial intelligence (AI)."

She warned, "President Biden must turn off the autopilot mode of North Korea policy and take proactive efforts to deter Pyongyang," adding, "Otherwise, President Biden risks encouraging an already emboldened Kim Jong-un to carry out large-scale provocations."