Reining in Pyongyang’s Missile Plans

Reining in Pyongyang’s Missile Plans

from The Diplomat by Dinshaw Mistry

North Korea is preparing to launch a satellite in the coming days to coincide with the 100th birthday of its founder Kim Il-sung. Its satellite carrying rocket is based on a long-range missile, and world leaders have urged Pyongyang to scrap the launch, stating that it violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874, which demands that Pyongyang “not conduct any further nuclear test or any launch using ballistic missile technology.” But the reality is that an excessively punitive response will do little to halt North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. Instead, it could well be followed by a familiar cycle of North Korean provocations and more international sanctions. This would disrupt the prospects for North Korean restraint on three vital nuclear issues – refraining from further nuclear tests so that it doesn’t develop a compact missile-deliverable nuclear warhead; freezing its uranium enrichment and plutonium production so that its nuclear inventory is limited ... Read More...