The big stare-down: Kim Jong-un awaits outcome of US election

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The North Korean leader has been beefing up the country’s nuclear capabilities

Kim Jong-un has been parading his new arsenal. Picture: BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES/SEONGJOON CHO

For Kim, Joe Biden poses a more challenging negotiating partner, more likely to pen a “Dear Jong” letter than engage with him in person — even though the bar for summit diplomacy is lower due to the precedent set by Trump, the officials say. “Kim Jong-un has been doing what he needs to stay in power, and nuclear weapons are the most powerful means of survival,” a South Korean official who is familiar with the diplomacy said, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Though the North has largely kept to a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests, it has continued to develop new missiles, as well as engines potentially designed for ICBMs and new mobile launchers, while building its nuclear weapons-grade stockpile, experts say.While the US’s far greater military might could swiftly inflict critical damage on North Korea, Pyongyang now poses a threat with its nuclear missiles capable of striking the US mainland.

A military parade earlier in October month highlighted how the North has beefed up its strategic weapons. It featured a new SLBM and a previously unseen ICBM designed to carry multiple warheads — dubbed by experts as a “monster” and rolled out on an 11-axle transporter. He has let unofficial markets thrive, allowing some breathing room for ordinary people to trade goods and securing funding sources for his pet projects.

 

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