DPRK is weak and wants to appear strong, is poor and wants sanctions relief

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 30, 2019
Contact: press@defensepriorities.org

WASHINGTON, DC—North Korea reportedly fired multiple unidentified projectiles off of its eastern cost. Defense Priorities Senior Fellow and Military Expert Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis, USA, Ret. issued the following statement in response:

“North Korea’s latest launch seems to mimic other recent weapons tests. This type of saber rattling is not threatening, but rather is intended to get the attention of North Korea’s more powerful neighbors. Kim Jong-un wants to negotiate and signal his ability to take actions the U.S. and others don’t like in an effort to speed up diplomacy.

“There’s an opening to negotiate for freezes and potentially rollbacks in exchange for limited sanctions relief. But unless Washington is willing to make such trade-offs and normalize relations, expect Kim to continue developing weapons and testing them.”