CIA nominee picks N. Korea among priority security challenges

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- The CIA director-designate, Leon Panetta, on
Thursday pointed to North Korea as one of the security priorities facing the U.S.

"I really do think that if we are going to come into the 21st century we have got
to set a list of priorities that not only look at current crises -- and clearly
we've got Afghanistan, we've got Pakistan, we've got Iraq, we have North Korea,"
Panetta said in his Senate confirmation hearing.
He was stressing the importance of "clearly looking at Russia and China" and
other "potential crises" that could develop in the future.
"We know North Korea detonated a nuclear weapon in 2006," Panetta said. "But we
don't know whether Kim Jong-Il is prepared to give up that nuclear capability
once and for all."
Six-party talks are underway to persuade North Korea to dismantle its nuclear
weapons, but skeptics say the North is just trying to buy time by prolonging the
multilateral talks without any real intention of denuclearizing.
The latest round of the talks ground to a halt in December over North Korea's
refusal to allow inspectors to take samples from its nuclear reactor.
U.S. President Barack Obama has said he will continue the talks and would not
dismiss the possibility of meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as part
of bilateral engagement to resolve concerns over North Korea nuclear weapons and
ballistic missiles.
Reports said North Korea is getting ready to test-launch another ballistic
missile capable of reaching the western part of the mainland U.S.
North Korea last test-fired a ballistic missile in 2006, but its success is
disputed because of its short-lived flight time.
hdh@yna.co.kr
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