North Korea unlikely to fully give up its nuclear weapons: US intelligence
Washington, Jan 30 (IBNS): With a second meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is scheduled to take place next month, a US intelligence report has said the Asian nation is unlikely to fully give up its nuclear weapons.
The Worldwide Threat Assessment report said: "Pyongyang has not conducted any nuclear-capable missile or nuclear tests in more than a year, has declared its support for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and has reversibly dismantled portions of its WMD infrastructure."
"However, we continue to assess that North Korea is unlikely to give up all of its nuclear weapons and production capabilities, even as it seeks to negotiate partial denuclearization steps to obtain key US and international concessions. North Korean leaders view nuclear arms as critical to regime survival, according to official statements and regime-controlled media," it said.
The second meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will take place in Vietnam, media reports said recently.
China's Xinhua news agency quoting Bloomberg news reported, U.S. administration officials are planning for the meeting to be held in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, but the coastal city of Da Nang and the southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City are also possible venues for the event.
White House confirms meeting will take place next month:
The White House recently announced that the second meeting between the two leaders will take place next month.
"President @realDonaldTrump looks forward to a second summit with Chairman Kim, which will take place near the end of February. Location will be announced at a later date," White House tweeted.
Kim Yong-chol, a top North Korean envoy, recently arrived in Washington and met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump met for the first time last year.
The meeting took place in Singapore in June.
It was during Singapore meeting that the two leaders had issued a commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Image Credit: Dan Scavino Jr. Twitter page
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