Time will tell.
Via Breitbart:
Former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho, who defected and now operates out of South Korea, warned in a press conference Monday that the “final destination” of the Kim regime is to possess nuclear weapons and that, in his estimation, Kim Jong-un “will never give them up.”
Thae held a press conference to answer questions regarding his experience with the communist Kim regime in light of the upcoming publication of his autobiography, detailing his work as a diplomat for the regime in London and his harrowing escape.
The defector said he believed that Pyongyang would take steps towards “sufficient” dismantling of its nuclear weapons development, but not “complete” dismantlement of the nuclear program, according to the South Korean news service Yonhap.
“The final destination that the North is headed for is not to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program but become a nuclear weapons state covered by the paper called denuclearization,” he suggested.
On economic issues, Thae suggested that North Korea is seeking a way to open its market up only as much as it needs for the Kim dynasty to survive, planning the creation of 14 “special” economic zones where international business can occur. North Korea is organized under a strict caste system known as songbun, which prevents individuals accused of being against the regime or related to those accused of such thought crimes from accessing the wealthiest parts of the country. Generations of families have been banned from Pyongyang for having bad songbun as a product of a grandparent’s perceived transgression. North Korean government officials can easily ban anyone with bad songbun from accessing these designated special economic areas.
Thae noted that, according to Kim Jong-un himself, nuclear weapons are “a sword and a shield for eternal prosperity, prosperity and happiness for generations to come. … He will never give them up.” He added that when North Korea demands that the United States and other nations involved in diplomatic discussions give the country “security guarantees,” they are seeking “to make it possible for the Kim Il-sung family to perpetuate its rule through succession.” Any moves towards a free and democratic North Korea would immediately end talks with the regime, who deem the rule of North Korea under anyone not in the Kim family “unacceptable,” in Thae’s estimation.