US officer warns of possible contingencies in N. Korea
Participants of the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) 2017 pose for a photo after the opening ceremony at the Westin Chosun Hotel in central Seoul, Thursday. Some 500 defense officials and security experts from 38 countries and four international organizations attended the annual security forum amid growing threats on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea’s sixth nuclear test. / Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense
By Jun Ji-hye
A U.S. intelligence officer said at a security forum in Seoul Thursday that the world should brace for multiple contingencies in North Korea.
Markus Garlauskas, an intelligence officer for North Korea at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), said change could come quickly, and unexpectedly.
Markus Garlauskas
“We should be prepared for multiple contingencies, one of which might lead to catastrophic failure of deterrence in a crisis,” he said at the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD).
The SDD is an annual forum of vice minister-level defense officials and security experts, which began Wednesday for a three-day run.
Garlauskas stressed that the international community should work together to draw up a common and clear assessment of the North Korean nuclear threats to make unified plans and actions.
“North Korea has expanded the size and sophistication of its ballistic missile forces _ from close-range ballistic missiles to ICBMs,” he said. “North Korea’s unprecedented level of testing and displays of strategic weapons in 2016 and 2017 indicate that Kim is intent on proving he has the capability to strike the U.S. mainland with nuclear weapons.”
For his part, South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam said the Kim regime should realize that its nuclear and missile programs will not guarantee its survival but only deepen its international isolation. He urged the North to stop committing provocations.
Jia Qingguo, professor of International Studies at Peking University in China, said his country and other nations need to work together to address the North Korean issues.
“We share the same goal in addressing North Korea’s nuclear program,” he said.
Other topics at the forum included issues of maritime disputes, cyber security and international cooperation in counter-terrorism.