Expressing concern over the belligerence and the rhetoric emanating from nuclear-armed North Korea, a top American intelligence official has said that such statements are reflective of the attitude and intent of the authoritarian regime in Pyongyang.
“I am very concerned about the actions of the new young leader and very belligerent and the rhetoric that has been emanating from the North Korean regime. The rhetoric, while it is propaganda laced, is also an indicator of their attitude and perhaps their intent,” Director of National Intelligence James R Clapper told lawmakers at a Congressional hearing.
“I am very concerned about what they might do and they are certainly, if they so chose could initiate a provocative action against the South,” he said responding to a question appearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
The new CIA Director, John Brennan, agreed with Clapper. “It’s a very dynamic time right now with the new leader,” he said. “It also just underscores the importance of making sure that our analytic capabilities as well as our collection capabilities are as strong as possible because what we’re talking about are developments that have strategic importance and potential consequence for US interests not just in Northeast Asia but also globally. “So I think this is one of the areas that we as an intelligence community and certainly the CIA need to pay particularly close attention to,” Brennan said.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, Chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, expressed concern over the recent rhetoric of the North Korea regime.