Henry Kissinger, speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, said: “North Korea acquired nuclear weapons to assure its regime’s survival; in its view, to give them up would be tantamount to suicide.
“An outcome that was widely considered unacceptable is now on the verge of becoming irreversible.”
On January 4 the US and South Korea announced it would suspend joint military exercises until after the Winter Olympics.
Seen by some as an act to de-escalate tensions with Pyongyang, US defence chief James Mattis clarified the US position and said the decision to delay was not a political gesture but a “practical matter” and part of “the normal give and take” and that military drills would continue after the Olympics has ended.
Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had discussed the situation on January 4 and following this a White House statement said: “The two leaders agreed to de-conflict the Olympics and our military exercises so that United States and Republic of Korea forces can focus on ensuring the security of the Games.”
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Earlier that day Donald Trump proclaimed that the renewed contact between the Korean countries was down to his hard-line tactics.
He tweeted: “With all of the failed ‘experts’ weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn’t firm, strong and willing to commit our total ‘might’ against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing!”
Mr Kissinger acknowledged some success in the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign in curbing North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, but also added that there has been no breakthrough.
He said: “The most immediate challenge to international peace and security is posed by North Korea.
“Paradoxically, it is only after Pyongyang has achieved nuclear and intercontinental missile breakthroughs, accompanied by threatening assertions and demonstrations, that measures to thwart these activities have begun to be applied.”
Mr Kissinger believes that he best road to the denuclearisation of the peninsula would by the revival of the now-stalled six-party talks or a separate US and China led forum.
He said: ”Interim steps towards full denuclearisation may well be part of an eventual negotiation.
“But they need to be steps towards this ultimate goal: the dismantlement of Pyongyang’s existing arsenal.”
Mr Kissinger highlighted that the mistake of past negotiations was that it allowed North Korea to gain the time they needed to advance its weapons development and that this mistake must not be repeated.
Talking about denuclearisation of the region, he said that a “freeze-for-freeze” under which the US and South Korea would suspend regular military exercises in exchange for North Korea halting its nuclear and ballistic missile testing “will not fulfil this purpose or even advance it.”
Yesterday North Korea issued an announcement to “all Koreans” on both sides of the peninsula’s border and called for reunification while a high-ranking South Korean official said that now is the “best time” for North Korea and the US to hold talks regarding its nuclear and missile programs as tensions have eased recently between the Pyongyang and Seoul.