North Korea has shown no indications that it has curbed its nuclear program, despite its promises to President Donald Trump, the U.N's nuclear watchdog has warned.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called the "continuation and further development" of Pyongyang's nuclear program a "cause for grave concern" in a report released late on Monday, according to Reuters.
"As the agency remains unable to carry out verification activities in the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea], its knowledge of the DPRK's nuclear program is limited and, as further nuclear activities take place in the country, this knowledge is declining," the IAEA report said.
Trump met with North Korea's strongman leader Kim Jong Un for a historic summit in Singapore in June. After the meeting, which marked the first time that a U.S. president has met with a North Korean head of state, Trump assured the world that Kim had pledged to work toward full denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Critics and skeptics argued that the North Korean leader could be tricking the U.S. president, in a bid to provide his country more time to develop its nuclear capabilities and ease sanctions.
Since June's one-on-one meeting, the fate of North Korea's nuclear program has been heavily scrutinized, with some reports from watchdogs and intelligence agencies suggesting steps are underway to dismantle the program. However, many also have shown that no such actions have been undertaken, with some alleging that Pyongyang has actually expanded nuclear facilities.
Satellite images released by North Korea monitoring project 38 North at the end of July revealed the destruction of a major launch and rocket engine testing site. But previous satellite imagery, taken by San Francisco-based Planet Labs Inc. and analyzed by researchers at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies (MIIS) in Monterey, appeared to show that the country has expanded a factory that builds ballistic missiles capable of striking U.S. military installations. Various other conflicting reports have been released since the summit.
On Monday, Trump told Reuters that he would "most likely" meet with Kim again to pressure him further toward full denuclearization. Meanwhile, some analysts suggest any further meeting with the North Korean leader without results first would be a win for Pyongyang. They argue that Kim could use such an event to boost his international legitimacy.
"We have already had one summit and three visits by [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo to the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea]. Giving Kim another summit, at least at the moment, would be counterproductive," Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest in Washington, D.C., told Newsweek.
Despite some reports suggesting the contrary, Trump appears convinced that he has successfully halted North Korea's nuclear ambitions thus far.
"I stopped (North Korea's) nuclear testing. I stopped (North Korea's) missile testing. Japan is thrilled," the president told Reuters. "What's going to happen? Who knows? We're going to see."
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Jason Lemon is a Weekend Editor at Newsweek based in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to taking on the editor role, Jason's reporting focused on ... Read more
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