South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) has assessed that North Korea is weakening its long-standing partnership with Iran in an apparent bid to forge a new diplomatic relationship with the United States. According to lawmaker Park Sun-won, who attended a closed-door NIS briefing, there have been no signs of weapons or supplies being sent from North Korea to Tehran since the US-Israel war on Iran began in late February.
The NIS noted that while Iran's other allies, China and Russia, have frequently issued statements regarding the US-Israel war on Iran, North Korea's Foreign Ministry has so far only released two toned-down statements. Although Pyongyang condemned the US and Israeli attacks on Iran as illegal, it did not issue public condolences after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death or send a congratulatory message when his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, succeeded him.
The spy agency suggested that Pyongyang is likely adopting this cautious approach to position itself for a new diplomatic chapter with the US once the Middle East conflict subsides. Additionally, the NIS informed lawmakers that it now believes Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un is grooming his teenage daughter as his successor, citing a recent public display of her driving a tank. Park stated that such scenes are intended to pay "homage" to Kim's own public military appearances in the early 2010s, when he was being prepared to succeed his father.
In response to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's apology on Sunday for a January drone incursion, Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, welcomed the gesture. In a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, Kim Yo Jong said, "The ROK [Republic of Korea] president personally expressed regret and talked about a measure for preventing recurrence. Our government appreciated it as very fortunate and wise behaviour for its own sake." Lee has sought to repair ties with North Korea since taking office last year, but his repeated overtures had gone unanswered until now.
Source: www.aljazeera.com