North Korea has been accelerating its threat to the globe and fears have been raised Kim Jong-un could spark World War 3.
President Donald Trump has attempted to increase pressure on the rogue state, but Kim Jong-un has not halted the states nuclear programme.
East Asia expert and author of ’Nuclear Showdown’, Gordon Chang, has claimed that the dictator could be close to a “tantrum” which could lead to deaths.
He said: “We know that President Trump’s sanctions have affected the regime. Kim Jong-un in his New Year’s address even addressed that issue and even called the sanctions an existential threat to the North Korean state.
“President Donald Trump deserves a lot of credit for that and Kim Jong-un wants relief. He wants the South Koreans to shovel money.
“But on the other hand, we have got to remember the Kim family playbook, and this is seven decades long. First of all, you refuse to talk to South Korea. You make a dramatic overture. Then you demand concessions and if you don’t get those concessions you throw a tantrum.
“When North Korea throws a tantrum, sometimes people die.”
The North Korea expert also told Fox News that President Trump should be praised for his ability to apply pressure on South Korea to stop them “giving North Korea what they want”.
Speaking to Express.co.uk in November, Mr Chang said World War 3 could begin in nine months time.
He said: “North Korea will be dangerous in about nine months or so because then two things are going to happen at the same time. First thing, President Donald Trump’s strangulation campaign, to cut off money flows to North Korea will actually have a great effect on the regime. We are already seeing signs of problems, of cashflow problems in North Korea.
“In nine months or so I think that the President’s plan will have a great effect. Also at that time, the North Koreans will become confident in their arsenal. They will be confident that they can put a nuke on top of a missile that can reach the American homeland. You put those two events together and it spells trouble for 2018.”
The United Nations placed harsh sanctions on North Korea after Kim Jong-un‘s missile testing. The resolution seeks to ban nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum product exports to North Korea.
But fears have been raised that China has not been complying with the sanctions. China considered to be Pyongyang’s only formal ally in the region due to a long-established mutual support treaty which is up for renewal in 2021.
But North Korea’s economy could still be growing despite the new sanctions that have been placed on the hermit kingdom.
Kim Chol, head of an economic research centre affiliated with the North’s Academy of Social Sciences said: “The North Korean economy is steadily taking the path towards improvement, rather than deterioration, thanks to various measures to enhance its economic independence.”
The sanctions were expected to cut North Korea’s foreign currency revenue from exports by approximately £185 million ($250 million) a year.