Eye Spy - May 2018

76 EYE SPY INTELLIGENCE MAGAZINE 115 2018

agencies because it implies that nuclear
weapons will not be allowed in South Korea,
either.

Previous inter-Korean agreements have also
pledged denuclearisation, and there remains
significant scepticism in Washington and
Tokyo, in par ticular, about whether this time
will be any different. However, on 29 April
North Korea publicly announced it was closing
its primary nuclear weapons test site at
Punggye-ri in May. A spokesperson said:
“International exper ts and foreign correspon-
dents would be invited to watch its disman-
tling.” The site has been carefully monitored
by several countries and has conducted six
nuclear tests in the last decade or so, the last
being in September 2017.

Analysts believe North Korea, for the foresee-
able future, will retain its nuclear weapons and
arsenal of missiles capable of reaching the US
mainland. While Jong-Un may refrain from any
new missile or nuclear tests for the time
being, as Seoul has indicated, he has said
repeatedly that he has no intention of giving
them up or of using them as a bargaining chip

to improve ties with Seoul, Washington or

anybody else. However, Jong-Un, through the

CIA intelligence back-channel, has insisted

that there would be “no need to keep the

missiles if trust could be built with America,”

and that the “war in the Korean peninsula is

formally ended.”

President Trump has previously insisted that

Washington will not accept anything less than

a deal that is “deliverable and verifiable,”

which would mean foreign inspectors at North

Koreas nuclear facilities - “every single one of

them.”

Whilst the historic meeting between the

Koreas has been hailed as a major break-

through, intelligence analysts note that

Pyongyang has broken previous agreements.

However, some commentators have said this

is the “end game” and if nothing of note

materialises, “there really will be conse-

quences.”

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy famously

said of the CIA: “Your successes are unher-

alded... your failures are trumpeted.” In this

case, Langley’s involvement in the Korean

encounter was just too tempting for the

Agency’s hierarchy not to leak! The intelli-

gence world is hoping Jong-Un really is a man

reformed and that the ‘Korean encounter’

heralds a new dawn in relations between the

West and one of the last remaining Commu-

nist countries.

Yongbyon, North Korea - Nuclear

Scientific Research Centre

The leaders of both

Koreas have agreed

to meet again

Mike Pompeo

North Korean ballistic missile

© USGS