North Korea's great escape: 'One-hour window to kill' Kim passed up – here's why

[RoterTeufel]

North Korea's great escape: 'One-hour window to kill' Kim passed up – here's why



THE US had North Korea's Kim Jong-un at their mercy for more than an hour and he didn't even know it.
 
Kim Jong-un was watching as North Korea tested a missile able to reach the US state of Alaska.
 
 But while he strolled around his missile, little did he know the US were watching him.
 
 For 70 minutes they observed him, a military source told magazine The Diplomat.
 
 They knew he would soon test a missile and that July 4 – the US national holiday – was ideal.
 
 They also knew that they could destroy his new toy using a range of precision-fire military technology.
 
 But they didn't – and the reason why is that they wanted Kim to know they weren't trying to topple his regime.
 
 Rodger Baker, the region's lead analyst of at Stratfor, a geopolitical consulting firm, said it was an unusual chance.
 
 "It's fairly standard that the US didn't strike the missile ahead of the launch," he told Business Insider.
 
 "The unusual aspect may be saying they were watching, or at least allowing that to leak," he added.
 
 It showed, he concluded, that the US wanted "to bring Kim Jong-un to his senses, not his knees".
 
 This could show Kim Jong-un that he doesn't need nuclear missiles to ensure the survival of his government.
 
 On the other hand, Mr Baker said, "if the program is continued" the US had proved that it could "strike it and Kim".
 
 Since testing its new missile earlier this month, North Korea has continued to boast of its ability to nuke the US mainland.