North Korea hints at ‘resuming’ long-range weapons tests after new US sanctions

 North Korea hints at ‘resuming’ long-range weapons tests after new US sanctions

Kim Jong Un to reconsider concessions made to US in denuclearization talks, says state media

Colin Zwirko January 20, 2022

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un convened a Politburo meeting Wednesday to discuss strengthening the country’s military and “reconsidering” concessions made to the U.S. in response to “hostile” actions from Washington, according to state media.

The Politburo “instructed the field concerned to reconsider all the confidence-building measures previously and voluntarily taken by our state and rapidly examine the issue on resuming all actions which had been temporarily suspended,” the Rodong Sinmun reported Thursday.

It also promised to “strengthen and develop without delay more powerful physical means to definitely overpower the daily intensifying hostile moves of the United States.”

While the report did not disclose precisely what Pyongyang is reconsidering, Kim previously said “confidence-building measures” referred to a self-imposed moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

“He’s not saying all bets are off, but it’s a strong indicator that they’re moving” towards testing these weapons again, Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Nuclear Policy Program, told NK News. He added that Pyongyang already announced plans to develop new ICBMs and tactical nuclear weapons at its Party Congress in Jan. 2021.

On whether North Korea will resume nuclear or ICBM tests again soon, Panda said it appears “they’re giving themselves flexibility” by announcing the policy shift using conditional language. “Kim doesn’t want to commit himself to anything just yet.”

It is not the first time Kim has hinted at rescinding his self-declared moratorium on nuclear and ICBM testing, however: At a Dec. 2019 party plenum, he said there was “no ground for us to be unilaterally bound to the commitment” any longer.

But despite conducting extensive new weapons testing since then, including four missile tests already this month, none have been intermediate- or intercontinental-range missiles.

A new ICBM called the Hwasong-17 appeared in an Oct. 2020 military parade but hasn’t been tested yet. North Korea last tested a nuclear bomb in Sept. 2017 and an ICBM in Nov. 2017.

The Politburo on Wednesday reportedly blamed recent U.S. sanctions against North Korea, joint military exercises, and “deploying strategic nuclear weapons in and around the Korean peninsula” for the change in policy.

Robert Abrams, former commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), refuted North Korea’s claims in a Tweet on Thursday, saying no U.S. nuclear-armed assets have entered Korean waters or air space since May 2018, just before the first Trump-Kim summit.

The Sixth Meeting of the Political Bureau of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea was reportedly held at the party headquarters complex in Pyongyang on Jan. 19 | Image: Rodong Sinmun (Jan. 20, 2022)

“The [Politburo] evaluated that the U.S. hostile policy and military threat have reached the line of danger that can no longer be overlooked despite sincere efforts our state had made after the DPRK-U.S. summit talks in Singapore for continued detente on the Korean peninsula,” the Rodong Sinmun stated.

“Unanimously admitting that the DPRK must be more fully ready for a protracted confrontation with U.S. imperialism, it came to a conclusion that it must go over to practical actions to consolidate more reliably and more precisely our physical strength for defending the dignity of our state and its national rights and interests.”

Panda told NK News that it appears Pyongyang sees the recent sanctions as “probably the most significant U.S. action so far under this administration” and a key indicator of their intentions.

“Kim warned the Biden administration last October that they’d focus more on ‘behaviors’ versus words,” he added.

BIG FEB. AND APRIL HOLIDAYS

The Wednesday Politburo also discussed plans to put on large-scale celebrations for upcoming February and April holidays, according to state media.

Officials adopted a measure to “grandly celebrate the 110th birth anniversary of the great leader Kim Il Sung [on April 15] and the 80th birth anniversary of the great leader Kim Jong Il [on Feb. 16], the Rodong Sinmun reported.

Military parades were held on the 70th and 75th birthdays of Kim Jong Il and the 100th and 105th birthdays of Kim Il Sung, with larger-scale parades on the April 15th holiday, meaning another could be planned for the coming months.

Meanwhile, the Rodong Sinmun on Thursday also published a decree to pardon criminals as part of celebrations for the former leaders.

The decree, reportedly made by the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) on Jan. 13, said people “who had been convicted of crimes against the country and the people” would receive amnesty starting on Jan. 30.

Similar decrees have been made numerous times under Kim Jong Un, including most recently in Aug. 2020 ahead of an October holiday celebrating the foundation of the ruling party.

Edited by Arius Derr. Last updated on Jan. 20 at 10:03 a.m. KST to include additional context.