US General Warns Of North Korea's Nuclear Weapons, Is Denuclearization Possible?

Contradicting president Donald Trump, Gen. Robert Abrams, Commander at U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), said North Korea has neither denuclearized nor has made any serious attempt to do so since the failed Singapore summit between Trump and North Korea dictator Kim Jong-un on June 12, 2018.

Gen. Abrams also told the Senate Armed Services Committee there has been “little to no verifiable change” in North Korea's military capabilities since last year. There has, however, been a palpable reduction in tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.

"I remain clear-eyed about the fact that, despite a reduction in tensions along the DMZ and a cessation of strategic provocations coupled with public statements of intent to denuclearize, little to no verifiable change has occurred in North Korea's military capabilities," said Gen. Abrams.

Gen. Abrams said North Korea's "conventional and asymmetric capabilities" continue to put the U.S., South Korea and its allies at risk. This unrestrained offensive stand makes it necessary for USFK to "maintain a postured and ready force to deter any possible aggressive actions."

He also warned Nirth Korea remains a potent military threat despite the country’s recent “less belligerent” tone towards Trump, and a lack of missile and nuclear tests in recent months.

Trump has blustered his alleged “accomplishments” in denuclearizing North Korea without presenting evidence to confirm it. The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) agrees North Korea has taken no notable steps towards “denuclearization,” but has instead beefed-up its capability to attack South Korea while continuing to develop its nuclear weapons program.

After the Singapore summit, Trump boasted the nuclear threat from North Korea had been eliminated. But hard evidence from USIC pointing to the contrary is placing increasing pressure on Trump to really negotiate a mutually beneficial deal at the next summit in Vietnam from Feb. 27 to 28. Political pundits concur Trump made no progress at all at the Singapore summit.

The U.S. recently took another tack to get North Korea on track towards its goal of a Complete, Verifiable, Irreversible Denuclearization (CVID). The U.S. Department of State has asked North Korea for a list of the nuclear scientists working on their weapons programs.

The U.S. wants to monitor North Korean scientists because they believe they could potentially hide nuclear materials. Some have even suggested the best way to move forward on denuclearization is for the international community to pay North Korean scientists to dismantle the nuclear program they built. Identifying these North Korean scientists will also stop them being hired by countries like Iran or Syria to work on their missile programs.