South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of a state of emergency has raised concerns, with a former U.S. government North Korea expert warning that preparations must be made for the possibility of North Korea exploiting this situation.
In a CNN interview on Monday, former National Intelligence Council (NIC) officer for North Korea Sidney Seiler stated, “We need to keep our eyes focused on North Korea and whether they will see an opportunity to exploit this.”
Seiler, also a former CIA officer, is a North Korea expert who has served as a White House advisor on Korean Peninsula affairs, a State Department special envoy for North Korean nuclear issues (deputy chief negotiator for the Six-Party Talks), and an intelligence analyst for U.S. Forces Korea.
Seiler noted that another crucial development to watch is Yoon’s response to the National Assembly’s emergency session, which was called to pass a resolution demanding lifting the state of emergency.
He added that this could potentially serve as a starting point for Yoon to begin a dialogue with the opposition to break the current political deadlock.
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