US regards N. Korea as major factor for 2019

North Korean men walk past portraits of nation founder Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang, Tuesday. AP-Yonhap

By Park Ji-won

U.S. experts consider North Korea one of the top nine factors that will affect U.S. interests in 2019, according to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

The council’s annual report titled “Preventive Priorities Survey: 2019,” stated that North Korea’s nuclear issue was one of the top conflict prevention priorities and will possibly have a critical impact on U.S. interests as it is likely to trigger military involvement or threaten the supply of critical strategic resources.

Specifically, the report pointed out there was a possibility of renewed tension on the Korean Peninsula following a collapse about the denuclearization negotiations.

Paul Stares, who wrote the report, told Radio Free Asia that experts considered North Korea the biggest threat last year. He added that the fact that North Korea was again selected as one of the top-tier conflicts for next year reflects skepticism of denuclearization talks.

Pyongyang as nuclear power

The report noted that “North Korea is a nuclear power with a complex relationship with China, and preventing both an interstate Korean war and a North Korean internal collapse are critical U.S. national security interests.”

“Along with continued weapons and missile tests, small-scale military and cyber provocations by North Korea pose significant risks as each incident carries with it the potential for further and potentially uncontrollable escalation.”

The CFR also said North Korea’s leader was another cause for concern, saying “North Korean weapons can now reach U.S. territories and even the U.S. mainland.”

The annual survey, conducted by the CFR’s Center for Preventive Action since 2008, ranks 30 ongoing or potential conflicts based on their likelihood of occurring or escalating in the next year and their potential impact on U.S. national interests.