Why is North Korea Ignoring the Biden Administration?

President Joe Biden’s administration has tried in vain to launch its mission to reach out to North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un. Sources privy to the White House indicated that Biden’s push was meant to lighten or hasten the diplomatic thaw between Washington D.C and Pyongyang. A senior White House official revealed that the diplomatic mission started in mid-February.

The Biden Administration Seems to Have More Pushback from Pyongyang

Washington D.C and Pyongyang remain at loggerheads over President Kim Jong Un’s challenging nuclear and ballistic missile initiatives. Reuters revealed last weekend that President Kim’s administration chose to ignore early outreaches as President Biden’s team initiates its North Korean strategy. 

The report came when the U.S executive in charge had planned to send the Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for an international diplomatic visit to Japan and South Korea. It’s clear that President Joe Biden is trying by all means to re-establish and strengthen the traditional U.S alliances that’ll support its mission to contain North Korea and China. 

A senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration confirmed that the United States did not have an active dialogue with North Korea for over one year now, including President Trump’s regime’s concluding days. 

Biden is Taking A Different Approach Than Trump, and It Seems To Be Creating Friction

Mr. Biden has initially expressed his disappointment with Kim. At one point, Biden referred to Kim as a thug and emphasized the dire need for North Korean nuclear disarmament. Biden revealed that only through adopting a North Korean nuclear disarmament strategy would the United States and the United Nations ease their sanctions on Pyongyang. 

The North Korean president has been on the record emphasizing Pyongyang’s military capabilities. Kim has claimed that his military has developed a series of long-range missiles with greater accuracy, spy satellites, nuclear-powered submarines, and super huge warheads. 

Kim has at the same time urged Washington D.C to minimize the hostile policies imposed on Pyongyang. 

The diplomatic missions planned by President Biden’s administration to Japan and South Korea will likely take a detailed discussion of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

Will Progress From the Previous Administration Wane Due to Current Actions?

The United States started loosening its foreign relations and considering North Korea as an ally in 2017 after Kim’s government successfully tested a series of long-range missiles with enough strength to hit multiple American cities. 

However, the plummeted relations between Washington D.C and Pyongyang eased when President Donald Trump took the endless initiative to develop personal ties with President Kim.

President Biden’s pursuits come when North Korea is immensely detached from the outside world for the first in Pyongyang’s diplomatic history. Kim has closed North Korea’s borders for over 12 months, citing its cautiousness to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease.

North Korea’s trade relations with China, its closest ally, have decreased by over 90% in the last few months.

Recent reports also indicate that North Korea is showing more disdain for the Biden Administration as they warn “not to cause a stink”. The intriguing aspect here is that they didn’t have that same approach over the past few years. They have changed their tone with recent regime change.

North Korea May Ramp Up Cyber Attacks to Obtain Funds

An UN-based confidential report indicated that North Korea acted in violation of international sanctions by developing its nuclear and ballistic missile initiatives with funds stolen through cyber hacks.

The report indicated that North Korea “produced fissile material, maintained nuclear facilities and upgraded its ballistic missile infrastructure” while developing the infrastructure and technology for these programs overseas. More foreign problems are an issue at a time when the United States faces various domestic issues ranging from the border crisis to large levels of consumer and national debt amid an extremely volatile stock market.