Joseph Detrani, former deputy deputy chief of the US Six-Party Talks, warned on the 17th (local time) that North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons could lead to the decision of neighboring countries, including South Korea and Japan, to acquire their own nuclear weapons. He urged countries like North Korea and Iran to stop possessing nuclear weapons and terrorist groups to prevent global nuclear proliferation.
In an article on The Hill, an American political media outlet, Ditrani analyzed the meaning of the death of Dr. Abdul Kadir Khan, a nuclear scientist who is called the ‘father of Pakistan’s nuclear development’. No,” he pointed out. After explaining Dr. Khan’s nuclear development activities, he said, “Iran, North Korea and Libya have aggressively pursued relations with Dr. Khan. claimed.
Regarding North Korea, it said, “It has conducted six nuclear tests, continues to reprocess spent fuel rods to extract plutonium for nuclear weapons, and is estimated to have 40 to 60 nuclear weapons.” It was also reminded that although North Korea does not recognize its weapons-grade highly enriched uranium program, there is a uranium enrichment facility in Yongbyon with thousands of centrifuges. He also mentioned that North Korea had previously supported the construction of Syria’s al-Kibar nuclear reactor and that al-Qaeda, an Islamic militant group, is known to have attempted to obtain nuclear material from North Korea. He said, “If North Korea is recognized as possessing nuclear weapons, other countries in the region such as South Korea and Japan may decide to possess their own nuclear weapons despite the US nuclear deterrence promise.” He added that if Iran continues to pursue nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey may also pursue their own nuclear weapons.
Washington = Correspondent Lee Jeong-eun lightee@donga.com Go to reporter page>
