With South Korea predicting North Korea
could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile Saturday, a South
Korean expert warned “hot-tempered and reckless” Kim Jong Un will not
cease his beloved missile and nuclear program until he is “eliminated.”
South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Thursday its neighbor may
launch a missile Saturday while celebrating its founding day. The
volatile regime is known to put on a show for its citizens during
national holidays to display its strength.
“I believe that now is the time to strengthen sanctions to the maximum
level while securing military deterrence means. Dialogue is ultimately
necessary, but now is not the time to talk about dialogue with North
Korea,” Lee said.
North Korea reportedly moved an ICBM toward its west coast earlier this
week, according to the South Korean paper Asia Business Daily. The
rocket was moved overnight, apparently to avoid detection.
If the test is conducted, it would be the fourteenth one since February.
North Korea has fired 21 missiles this year and Sunday’s nuclear test,
where it claimed it detonated a hydrogen bomb, will be the sixth one in
its history.
Kim Jong Un’s push for full nuclear capability may have developed when
he was a “hot-tempered and reckless” teenager, Nam Sung-wook, a Korea
University professor who formerly ran the Institute for National
Security Strategy said, according to Yonhap News Agency.
"The latest development [North Korea's latest sixth nuclear test] is
largely attributable to Kim's wild character. If Kim is not eliminated,
this issue [the North's provocation] will persist," Nam told South
Korean lawmakers.
Nam, part of Seoul’s spy agency between 2008 and 2012, said the dictator
had a short temper, recalling a time he “exploded with foul language”
because his girlfriend asked him not to smoke.
"As Kim was smoking at a young age, his girlfriend advised him to quit
smoking. Then, Kim exploded with foul language, which was quite shocking
[to her]," Nam recalled.
A previous report by Japanese magazine Nikkei Asian Review also recalled
talking to sources commenting on Kim’s anger. The leader reportedly
“flew into a rage” when he discovered his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, was
planning a coup with Chinese officials to have him ousted in 2013.
Jang was executed a short time later.
Nam added: "Any vague fear of Kim is not desirable. Likewise, any simple
evaluation of Kim is a no-no."
Experts fear Kim’s unpredictable rage could drive him to launch a
nuclear war as he spews bombastic threats toward neighboring countries
and the U.S. Lee also said Thursday that North Korea reaching its
nuclear goal threatens the “security of the world.”
"North Korea's nuclear armament poses threats not only to the security
of Northeast Asia, but also to the security of the world," Lee said. "It
is urgently needed for the international community to make concerted
efforts."
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