Victor Cha: Shifting Nuclear Strategy of Pyongyang and Directions for ROK-US Cooperations
In this interview, Dr. Victor Cha, Vice Dean and D.S. Song-KF Professor of Government at Georgetown University, states that North Korea is ready to conduct the 7th nuclear test. He expects additional sanctions measures led by the US and Japan as well as further movements of American military assets to the Korean Peninsula after the test. Dr. Cha explains that the recent change in Pyongyang’s nuclear strategy, moving to a First Use nuclear doctrine, is possibly due to the lessons it learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Although nuclear weapons could be perceived as a good thing in terms of self-defense, Dr. Cha warns that Russia’s shelling near the power plant in Ukraine demonstrated the danger of possessing the nuclear complex vulnerable to intentional or accidental attacks during war.
1. Timing of the Seventh Nuclear Test and ROK-US Response 00:00
2. Possibility of Pyongyang’s Using Nuclear Weapons in the Event of Crisis 04:59
3. Extended Deterrence and ROK-U.S. Alliance 09:19
[Source: EAI 동아시아연구원]
