Mixed messages out of Washington on North Korea.
One of the top intelligence chiefs in the U.S. is contradicting President Trump on the progress being made with Pyeongyang.
He says... North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is going to be reluctant to abandon his nuclear weapons program.
Oh Jung-hee reports.
North Korea is unlikely to fully give up its nuclear weapons and the regime continues to show activities that aren't consistent with denuclearization.
That's how the U.S. intelligence community views North Korea right now -- quite contrary to President Trump's optimism about denuclearization talks.
The heads of U.S. intelligence agencies gathered at a hearing on Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
One of them was the Director of National Intelligence, Daniel Coats.
"We currently assess that North Korea will seek to retain its WMD capabilities and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities, because its leaders ultimately view nuclear weapons as critical to regime survival. Our assessment is bolstered by our observations of some activity that is inconsistent with full denuclearization."
This means there are ongoing activities in North Korea in regards to nuclear and missile development.
Coats' comment was echoed by CIA Director, Gina Haspel.
She said Pyeongyang is committed to developing a long-range nuclear-armed missile that would pose a direct threat to the U.S. homeland.
Coats explained, even as North Korea seeks to negotiate partial denuclearization steps, it's only to gain key concessions.
He added North Korea will continue efforts to ease pressure on itself through diplomatic engagement,... including meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in multiple times.
Pyeongyang is using diplomacy as a leverage, the director assessed,... saying North Korean statements repeatedly imply that additional diplomacy can't occur unless sanctions are eased.
Other than the regime's nuclear threats, the U.S. intelligence community identified North Korea's cyber, chemical and conventional weapon capabilities as a threat as well.
They said Pyeongyang pursues advanced conventional weapons programs with more accurate missiles... to offset the military advantages of its adversaries.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
