Kim Jong Un slammed both the US and Israel for their attack on Iran, with experts warning that the dictator is concerned about the levels of US intelligence on foreign leaders
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has launched a scathing attack on the US and Israeli attack on Iran, calling the missile and drone bombardment of the Middle Eastern country “shameless”
The attack was termed “a shameless rogue act of the US and Israel” and “an illegal act of aggression“, in a statement released by Kim’s government earlier this week.
The North Korean leader has been hesitant at times to criticise the US President, especially when compared to his attitudes towards previous regimes.
Many are now speculating that this change in tone suggests Kim has been angered by Trump’s aggressive manoeuvres to kill Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The despot is unsettled, experts say, and worries that he could be next on Trump’s list.
Speaking to the Korea Herald, political academic Lim Eul-chul warned that Kim is furious about the killing of the Iranian leader, specifically, with whom the US had reportedly been pursuing “nuclear negotiations” similar to the “unconditional dialogue” promised to North Korea.
North Korea may focus on the fact that Iran was ultimately attacked despite pursuing nuclear negotiations and attempting to reach certain agreements,” said the professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies.
“There is virtually zero chance that Pyongyang trusts the sincerity of Washington’s offer of ‘unconditional dialogue.’”
Lim also revealed that Kim is likely to be extremely concerned by the level of intelligence the US had on both Maduro and Khamenei, worrying that he may be being surveilled in a similar fashion.
“The years of precise intelligence accumulation that enabled the US to eliminate Iran’s supreme leader, along with the swift execution demonstrated in ‘Operation Epic Fury,’ represent more than a simple warning to Kim Jong-un — they amount to an existential threat,” he said.
According to Lim, North Korea is “fully aware that the US intelligence-gathering capabilities and strike patterns displayed in Iran could be applied to North Korea in the same way, or even more precisely.”
He warns that, far from pushing the dictator towards the negotiation table, these fears may push Kim to isolate North Korea further.
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