Analyst says Maduro capture could deepen Kim’s nuclear resolve

Jan. 5 (Asia Today) — The U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro could reinforce North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s belief that nuclear weapons are essential for regime survival and make denuclearization talks harder, a South Korean scholar said.

Im Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the U.S. strike and Maduro’s detention would send Pyongyang two messages: an “existential threat” and a perceived justification for clinging to nuclear arms, according to the analysis.

U.S. officials said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken into custody in a covert operation and transported to the United States to face criminal charges.

Im said North Korea has long cited the fates of leaders such as Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moammar Gadhafi in Libya as warnings tied to its own survival calculus and that the Maduro case would likely deepen distrust of denuclearization negotiations inside North Korea.

He said seeing Washington’s precision strike capabilities could further fuel Pyongyang’s argument that only nuclear weapons can deter U.S. military power, adding that North Korea may accelerate steps such as expanding tactical nuclear deployment, improving second-strike capability and tightening internal control through fear-based politics.

North Korea, which has maintained ties with Venezuela since establishing diplomatic relations in 1974, condemned the U.S. strikes on Sunday as an infringement on sovereignty, according to state media.

Im also said North Korea’s ballistic missile launches Saturday could carry a message aimed at the United States, as the regime continues to emphasize self-reliance in defense amid regional and global tensions.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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