WASHINGTON: The US policy to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program is “probably a lost cause”, the US national intelligence director has said.
James Clapper said the best the US could hope for was a cap on the North’s capabilities, in a speech in New York.
It is a rare admission that Washington’s long-standing goal of denuclearisation may not be achievable.
However, the US state department said its policy had not changed.
North Korea claims to have made rapid progress in its nuclear and rocket programs in recent years despite international opposition and strict sanctions.
In September, the country carried out its fifth and largest nuclear test, to worldwide condemnation.
US shifts paradigm on N. Korean nuclear program
