North Korea's nuclear ambitions remain the most daunting security issue facing Asia, and the current diplomatic efforts would not lead to Pyongyang's disarmament. So said a leading London-based think tank on Tuesday.
A British think tank has a gloomy outlook for the ongoing efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear dispute. Researchers at the International Institute of Strategic Studies said there's little chance for Pyongyang's complete disarmament through diplomacy and a freeze on nuclear development may be the best outcome.
North Korea's nuclear ambitions remain the most daunting security issue facing Asia, and the current diplomatic efforts would not lead to Pyongyang's disarmament. So said a leading London-based think tank on Tuesday.
In its annual report dubbed "Strategic Survey," the International Institute of Strategic Studies pointed out that six-nation talks on the nuclear impasse have made almost no progress since they began in 2003.
The institute said with the continued diplomatic stalemate and North Korea's nuclear build-up, the prognosis for resolving the crisis remains uncertain.
"North Korea believes that nuclear weapons are absolutely vital to the survival of the regime and the defense of the country, against what they see as much larger and more powerful countries. So I don't think any diplomatic process can lead to disarmament."
Researchers said a freeze on North Korea's nuclear capability is what diplomacy can bring at best. They also pointed to worsening Sino-U.S. relations over Taiwan, saying the instability in bilateral ties could negatively affect regional security.
IISS experts said, however, that North Korea fully recognizes that a conflict would result in the destruction of its regime, and that it does not have any interest in starting a war.
