Park Ji-won, director of the National Intelligence Service, said today (7th) that "North Korea is likely to conduct a nuclear test between the inauguration of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol and the visit of US President Joe Biden to South Korea."



Director Park said in a media call today, "For North Korea, (this time) is a very necessary nuclear test."



Director Park explained that this evaluation was "because North Korea showed off its explosive power in past nuclear tests," and then said, "Tunnel 3 is a place where only miniaturized and light-weighted nuclear tests are possible in terms of scale." I did.



“If North Korea makes it smaller and lighter, it will be able to mount nuclear warheads on short-range missiles,” he said.



North Korea is preparing for the 7th nuclear test to complete a small nuclear warhead in the tunnel of a nuclear test site, and if this test is successful, it is an evaluation that it can attack or threaten South Korea and Japan by mounting a small and lightweight nuclear warhead on a short-range missile. .



Director Park explained that North Korea is making preparations for a nuclear test despite the persuasion of China and Russia.



When asked if North Korea is not responding to the persuasion of China and Russia, he said, "It does not respond and ignores it."



Director Park said, "Chairman Kim Jong-il and Chairman Kim Jong-un are different."



As for the possibility that North Korea will conduct two or three nuclear tests, he said, "I don't know yet."



When asked what advice he would like to give to the Yoon Seok-yeol government, which will be inaugurated on the 10th, President Park emphasized, "Do not interrupt communication," and "Do not cut communication lines."



"In the past, after taking office as president, we cut off communication lines between the two Koreas," he said.



It is said that inter-Korean communication lines are absolutely necessary because there may be issues of contact with North Korea even in the early stages of the new government.



Communication channels exist between the two Koreas, such as the Gaeseong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office (liaison office) communication line, the military communication line in the East and West Sea regions, the inter-Korean communication test line, the direct communication line between the Blue House and the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and the hotline between the National Intelligence Service and the Workers’ Party of Korea Unified Front Department. .



Park said, "President Moon told me a few months ago, 'The Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in administrations made a lot of effort at the beginning of his tenure for inter-Korean dialogue and held inter-Korean summits during his tenure, but at the end of his tenure, [relationship] broke down. I have to start over



“Before the presidential election, [President Moon] talked about ‘whether a regime re-creation or regime change, we should hand over the peace process of trust and dialogue between me and Chairman Kim Jong-un to the new president,’” he said. It was a personal letter from the ," he explained.



However, when asked if he would advise the next president on the exchange of personal letters between the leaders of the two Koreas or the dispatch of special envoys, he declined to answer immediately, saying, "It is a matter for the new government to decide, and I am not of the nature to talk about it."



President Park said, "Isn't it difficult even for the Park Geun-hye administration as former President Lee Myung-bak started his tenure after turning the clock without recognizing the changed 10 years of former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun?" We have to acknowledge the five years of change in the company and start from there and talk.”



Director Park said that the ballistic missile North Korea launched into the East Sea today is "like a SLBM."



It is known that North Korea maneuvered a submarine off the coast of Sinpo in South Hamgyong Province this morning and then returned it.



South Korean and US military and intelligence officials are said to have been watching the possibility of a North Korean submarine launching a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) as it sails into the East Sea.



However, after the return of the submarine, North Korea fired a presumed SLBM ballistic missile.



(Photo = National Assembly Photo Reporters, Yonhap News)