With the COVID-19 pandemic raging as he prepares to move into the White House, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has said his attention will be laser-focused on halting its spread. But North Korea’s Kim Jong Un may have other ideas.
As Kim seeks an end to crushing sanctions over his country’s nuclear weapons program, an attention-grabbing provocation by the North Korean leader is likely in store for Biden, longtime observers and officials say. The only question is when.
“While North Korea and its nuclear and missile threats may not be at the top of his to-do list, the Biden administration cannot afford to ignore Pyongyang — and North Korea has ways of ensuring it is not ignored,” said Evans Revere, a former U.S. State Department official with extensive experience in negotiations with the North.