Kim Jong Un inspects nuclear facility, warning US President Trump - North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jung Eun inspected a nuclear materials production facility and a nuclear weapons laboratory, offering a contrast to the diplomatic messaging of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The fact that North Korea refused to accept the suggestion of resuming diplomacy and reaffirmed its previous position of "strengthening its nuclear program" can be interpreted as a pressure move to seize the initiative from the early stages of negotiations.
On the 29th, North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported in unison that Kim had inspected a nuclear material production base and a nuclear weapons research institute, and warned that the country was "prepared for a nuclear response."
"The unlimited evolution of our military power is a firm political and military position that we must maintain," he said.
During this on-site visit, there was no technical mention of nuclear material production, and the political message that was aimed at the United States stood out. Even if they enter into negotiations, they will not start negotiations on nuclear disarmament, but on denuclearization.
"If there is no change in the U.S. policy toward North Korea, we will not be able to have a nuclear weapon program," said Lim Ul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies, in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.
"There is no change to our current position of promoting the sophistication of our nuclear program," he said, adding, "This is a message to pressure President Trump to accept nuclear disarmament, or the so-called 'small deal,' without abandoning our nuclear program."
Professor Park Won-gon of Ewha Women's University also said, "Kim has no intention of abandoning the nuclear facilities that the U.S. is demanding, even if negotiations progress under President Trump's second term.
"These public actions have clearly demonstrated that the next round of negotiations will be about nuclear disarmament, not denuclearization," said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies.
"The aim of the North is to demonstrate its nuclear capabilities in a showy manner, rather than taking provocative actions such as launching a CBM or ballistic missile, and gauge the U.S.'s reaction," he said. "First, it will solidify its status as a nuclear power, and then it will take measures to protect its position in the future."
"It includes an intention to raise its own value in negotiations with the United States," he said. However, Kim is seen as sending a cautious message without provoking President Trump.
Hong Min, an advanced researcher at the Institute for National Unification, said, "President Trump deliberately made this on-site inspection of nuclear materials and nuclear weapons facilities public at a time when he was sending a series of friendly messages."
He said he interpreted this as "more of a move to clarify his own position than a rejection of President Trump's message."
Meanwhile, the agency said that Kim had not provided any details about the nuclear material production facility he visited.
Although the location has not been disclosed, photos released by North Korean media show that the walls, flooring, and other internal facilities are different from the "nuclear material production facility" that was unveiled last September, so it is possible that the building is a different building within the same facility.
It has also been pointed out that it may be a completely different complex. If the location Kim visited this time is an undisclosed facility that the US does not know about, it could be a facility that "excessively produced weapons-grade nuclear material and
Some have interpreted this as an attempt to accelerate the increase in nuclear material production along with the message of "strengthening nuclear defenses."
The facility in the press photos is in a worse state than the one unveiled in September last year," the report said, adding that the facility inspected this time could be one in Yongbyon County or a "third facility."