Too great to deter? North Korea’s evolving nuclear threat

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s growing arsenal is setting the scene for a risky game of military one-upmanship with the US and its east Asian allies.

Christian Davies, Kana Inagaki and Demetri Sevastopulo

Jan 9, 2023 – 10.33am

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In his last known letter to a US president, an emotional Kim Jong-un rebuked Donald Trump for carrying out scheduled joint military exercises with South Korea.

“I am clearly offended, and I do not want to hide this feeling from you,” Kim wrote in August 2019. “If you do not think of our relationship as a stepping stone that only benefits you, then you would not make me look like an idiot that will only give without getting anything in return.”

Financial Times