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As part of 'axis of evil,' some in North think attack imminent
"North Korea has made preparations for a potential war. As a part of an 'axis of evil,' North Korea has made complete preparation in case it is attacked,'' said Park Han-shik, a Korean-American professor at the University of Georgia, who visited Pyongyang in mid-July after the Stalinist nation tested missiles on July 5, local time. Prof. Park said this during an interview with Washington-based Radio Free Asia (RFA). "North Korea conducted the missile test-firing not to display its military power, but to let the international community know the seriousness of its problems. The communist regime also wanted to resolve the problems as soon as possible,'' added Professor Park. Professor Park is director of University of Georgia's Center for the Study of Global Issues and has visited North Korea 35 times. In 2003, he invited North Korean and American delegations to hold a forum on the North Korean nuclear crisis."If the North Korean military comes to completely believe that it will be attacked by the United States, it won't just sit and watch its weapons be destroyed by the American attack. I think North Korea will fire more missiles in the near future,'' he continued. In connection with the North Korean nuclear programs, Professor Park said, "We can't expect [North Korea] to completely abandon its nuclear weapons before Pyongyang and Washington normalize diplomatic relations. The North may choose to give up the nuclear programs after the nation and the U.S. normalize their political relationship and a peace treaty and a nonaggression pact are signed by the two."
