Unlike Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un appears more rational in running the affairs of his regime. A top official of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said the North’s leader did not really want to start a war against America in spite of his provocation that created tensions among its neighboring countries, The Washington Times reported.
According to the deputy assistant director of the CIA’s newly installed Korea Mission Center, Kim Jong-un may be personally different compared to the ‘sinister’ image he tried to project. Yong Suk Lee was convinced that the North’s leader would be the last man who wanted a war over the Korean peninsula, New York Post reported.
A glance on Kim Jong-un’s leadership
The statements of Deputy Assistant Director Yong Suk Lee totally contradicted Donald Trump’s adverse remarks on Kim Jong-un. Lee explained that the young dictator of the communist regime actually wanted what any other despotic leader would want, that is, to rule for a long period as well as peacefully pass away. In addition, the deputy assistant director elaborated that non-authoritarian countries would hardly understand and accept the kind of conservatism in North Korea.
During the CIA’s conference on the Ethos and Profession of Intelligence, an annual event at George Washington University, Yong Suk Lee asserted that the long-term goal of Kim Jong-un is to arrive at a “big-power agreement” with the United States government as well as oust all the U.S.
forces from the Korean peninsula, The Economic Times reported.
Kim Jong-un’s dream
The claims of Yong Suk Lee were supported by Joseph DeTrani, former U.S. special envoy to talks on North Korea, and Michael Collins, CIA Deputy Assistant Director for East Asia. Both Collins and DeTrani believed that the goal of North Korea was never to strike the United States mainland with nuclear missiles.
Instead, the communist regime sought to attain legitimacy and have more freedom of action over the Korean peninsula.
According to DeTrani, North Korea equated the presence of American forces with the United States’ goal of regime change in the region. In addition, North Koreans would always give the highest value to the issue of survival.
And the regime’s nuclear weapons program assured survival for North Koreans, as well as political stability.
Furthermore, Michael Collins was skeptical about the North’s plan to hit the United States mainland with its nuclear missiles. North Koreans and its leader, Kim Jong-un, are not actually suicidal, Collins explained.
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