U.S.: North Korea trying to establish ‘strategic dominance’ via nukes – By Thomas Maresca (UPI) / Mar 9, 2023
SEOUL, March 8 (UPI) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has no intention of abandoning his nuclear and long-range missile plans and is aiming to achieve “strategic dominance over South Korean and U.S. forces in the region,” according to a new U.S. intelligence report.
“[Kim] is continuing efforts to enhance North Korea’s nuclear and conventional capabilities targeting the United States and its allies, which will enable periodic aggressive actions to try to reshape the regional security environment in his favor,” the 2023 Annual Threat Assessment said.
Pyongyang is “prioritiz[ing] efforts to build an increasingly capable missile force designed to evade U.S. and regional missile defenses,” the report, released Wednesday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, assessed.
The secretive regime “probably is preparing to test a nuclear device to further its stated military modernization goals,” it added.
