Pyongyang has upper hand, says expert
test is an ominous sign that Pyongyang has the upper hand in its standoff
with the US, a leading expert on the shadowy state has said.
Dr Ron Huisken, of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre in Canberra, has
told
NEWS.com.au that the timing of the test, reported today, is startling.
"It's one of the last cards they have left," he said. "To have decided to
play it now suggests an ominous development in the mood in Pyongyang."
North Korea's official news agency announced the successful test earlier
this afternoon, describing it as an "historic event".
"They're playing hardball . and at the moment they have the upper hand," Dr
Huisken said.
He said the timing of the test was also "incredible" because one year ago to
the day, Pyongyang had managed to wrest a signed assurance from the US that
it would not be attacked.
That assurance had been one of North Korea's key demands in the six-party
talks that have been sporadically held in recent years, with otherwise
limited results.
Those talks finally broke down after the US started applying pressure to a
financial lifeline the regime operated through offshore accounts.
