Biden’s North Korean foreign policy direction faces a crisis at the outset
The new US president has so far been cautious in publicly describing his plans for the DPRK. Joe Biden claimed to be conducting a comprehensive review of his predecessor’s “North Korean” legacy. Donald Trump is known to have established an unprecedented relationship with Pyongyang. The two sides were close to a deal to denuclearise the Korean peninsula, but talks collapsed due to Washington’s tough demands.
Biden, occupying the White House, has tried to reach out to Pyongyang. A senior Washington official, whose name was not disclosed, told Reuters that attempts had been ongoing since mid-February, including through UN channels.
“To date, we have not received a response from Pyongyang”, – the journalist’s interlocutor acknowledged.
According to him, there has not been an active dialogue between the US and the DPRK for more than a year. Not to be outdone, Biden had the temerity to call Kim Jong-un a “thug” in his election campaign. The Democrat has said he is ready to meet with the North Korean leadership only after North Korea’s nuclear disarmament, but such a scenario is unlikely.
Pyongyang understands that a nuclear arsenal is the only factor separating North Korea from the fate of countries where US intervention has ended in coups and civil wars. Moreover, the Biden administration has made no secret of its intentions to rock the situation in Asia, and tensions between China and the US have already reached an all-time high. This is unlikely to encourage Pyongyang to meet Washington’s demands.
While it is Trump who is commonly blamed for destructive policies, things could get even worse under Biden, Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov said.
“Biden continues Trump’s policies. Under him, the US Department of Defense said: intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles will be directed against the PRC. And now Blinken is going to the Far East to negotiate their deployment”, – the politician said. – “It will not get any better under Biden. It can’t get any worse.”