But experts say it is unlikely to affect the denuclearization talks or summit plans
What does a new “tactical” weapon mean for the North Korean denuclearization process? Both the United States and the South Korean government downplayed the weapons test, but Adam Mount, a member of the Federation of American Scientists, disagreed.
Speaking to Reuters news agency, he said the test may serve as a warning to Washington.
“They’re trying to signal that they are willing to walk away from talks and restart weapons testing,” he said. “It is the most explicit in a series of escalating statements designed to send this message.”
The U. S. State Department suggested the test would not derail efforts to persuade North Korea to give up a nuclear weapons program.
“We remain confident that the promises made by President Trump and Chairman Kim will be fulfilled,” a spokesman for the U. S. State Department said.
Troy University lecturer in international relations Daniel Pinkston, also does not believe the test will have any direct impact on current talks and says it’s another example that “North Korea’s orientation policy objectives haven’t fundamentally changed.”
He adds that this “particular system is just another indication of the importance of military to military strength in North Korea.”
South Korea’s Ministry of Defense said Friday the test shouldn’t be classified as a “provocation.”
In addition, an anonymous South Korean government official speaking to South Korea’s Yonhap News, said while the test should be watched carefully, it didn’t necessarily mean North Korea was willing to walk away from denuclearization talks.
A North Korean threat?
Seong Whun Cheon, Visiting Research Fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, says he has concerns about Seoul’s assessment of the recent test, because a tactical weapon refers to a short-range device, “which means even if it’s not a threat to the United States, [it’s] a direct threat to our (South Korean) national security.
