A Desperate Hungry No Korea with a Meglomaniac in Control

Washington - U.S. Spy Chiefs See Domestic Motive In North Korean Rhetoric

U.S. spy agencies believe the recent bellicose rhetoric from North Korea is mainly an effort by leader Kim Jong-un to demonstrate he is firmly in command, National Intelligence Director James Clapper said on Thursday.

“Much of the rhetoric - in fact all of the belligerent rhetoric of late - I think is designed for both an internal and an external audience. But I think first and foremost it’s to show that he is firmly in control in North Korea,” Clapper said.

North Korea’s economy is in dire straits, he added, noting signs that some of its army has been diverted to work in agriculture. And he said there has been a “steady stream” of defectors lately, compared with prior years, when two a year would have been notable.

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