North Korea says nuclear weapons target only US; How safe is South Korea?

north korea
Kim Jong Un posing next to the new Hwasong-15 missile. KCNA/Reuters

Lessening tensions in the Korean peninsula, a North Korean delegate conducted talks with South Korea ahead of the Winter Olympics, 2018. Calling South Korea their 'brethren', the North Korean delegate assured that there is no enemy between the two neighboring countries and the only reason for concern is South Korea's amicable relationship with the US.

The inter-Korean talks happened after more than two years, and during the meetup, the North Korean delegate said that the nuclear weapons of their country are solely aimed at the United States, and South Korea's affinity towards the US is the only reason behind the escalating tensions in the peninsula. The delegate also said that their nuclear arsenal is not targeting Russia or China.

"North Korea's weapons are only aimed at the United States, not our brethren, China or Russia," said Ri Son Gwon, the North Korean delegate. He also affirmed that the nuclear issue is not an issue between the Pyongyang and South Korea.

North Korea and South Korea meeting
Head of the North Korean delegation, Ri Son Gwon shakes hands with South Korean counterpart Cho Myoung-gyon as they exchange documents after their meeting at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea Reuters

During the talks conducted on Tuesday, representatives of North Korea and South Korea agreed to conduct negotiations to resolve the problems prevailing in the Korean peninsula. When Seoul proposed talks to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, North Korea strongly opposed it and added that the weapons are targeting the US mainland, and nowhere else in the world.

After the meeting, the South Korean unification ministry issued a separate statement and revealed that North Korea has agreed to guarantee peace in the region. Political experts believe that North Korea's participation in the upcoming Winter Olympics will ease the tension surrounding the region.

Also read: Singapore will not tolerate religious radicals: Shanmugam

Even though the tensions between South Korea and North Korea have lessened a bit after the meeting, reports that the United States is considering a bloody nose attack to humiliate North Korea might reverse the present situation. Donald Trump is already considering hitting Pyongyang as the Kim Jong-un led regime has openly expressed their non-readiness to stop their nuclear program.

According to reports, it has been learned that Donald Trump's secretaries of State and Defence, Rex Tillerson and James Mattis are persuading him not to attack North Korea, while National Security Advisor H R McMaster is asking Trump to conduct a bloody nose attack on North Korea. What will be Trump's action and how will it affect the relationship between the two Koreas? The world is eager as well as apprehensive to find out.

This article was first published on January 10, 2018
READ MORE