In recent years, North Korea has repeatedly developed and launched several missiles. In September 2017, North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test with the 'hydrogen bomb for intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)'. North Korea, which announced upcoming ICBM tests in Kim Jong Un's New Year's Address in January 2017, conducted two ICBM tests in July 2017 and another in November 2017. Then, Kim Jong Un declared to the world that "the achievement of the historical cause of the nation's nuclear armed forces and the achievement of the rocket-powered nation" were achieved. In context of this situation, we should analyze the technological level of North Korea's ballistic missiles, and the prospects for the near future as North Korea tries to complete its nuclear program and SLBM/ICBM launch this year. It is important to evaluate the technology and limitations of North Korea's missiles and predict North Korea's future actions.
This talk will make an effort to analyze North Korea's technological problems and credibility. Lastly, we anticipate that North Korea will cease launching nuclear tests and ICBM tests and come to the negotiation table. However, there is a contradictory view that North Korea will continue to pursue nuclear and missile capabilities. In this context, the presentation briefly assesses North Korea's missile capability and technological limitations and predicts whether or not North Korea will conduct an ICBM test this year.
Register here: https://goo.gl/SoEQ3b
Speaker
Dr. Hong-Je Cho is currently Senior Research Fellow at Korea National Defense University (KNDU)'s Research Institute for National Security Affairs. He is also a Visiting Scholar at the Space Policy Institute at GW's Elliott School of International Affairs from December 2017 to June 2018. During his stay at GW, he plans to conduct research on "Military Competition and Arms Control in Space in Asia." Prior to his current position with GW, he researched as a visiting scholar at McGill University from December 2012 to May 2013. Dr. Cho has served as an air force officer for the past 29 years, and after finishing his Ph.D. in international law at the University of Gyungbook in 2001, he began his research at the KNDU. He has studied North Korea's ballistic missile, nuclear, space launch, and GPS jamming activities as well as international space law, international terrorism, nuclear summit meetings, North Korea's UAV attack, and the international law and legitimacy of a preemptive strike on a North Korean nuclear facility.