GOP senator: Report that North Korea will not denuclearize ‘very troubling’

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Sunday expressed concerns about a Washington Post report that found North Korea allegedly does not intend to denuclearize.

“This is a very troubling report, there’s no doubt about it,” Collins said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“North Korea has a long history of cheating on agreements that it’s made with previous administrations,” Collins said, urging President Trump to remain vigilant on North Korea.

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The Post on Saturday night reported that U.S. intelligence officials concluded North Korea is planning to hide its nuclear stockpile and production facilities, contradicting an agreement signed in June by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with Trump that promised the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.  

Trump and Kim signed a joint statement at their summit in Singapore last month that included a reaffirmation of North Korea’s complete denuclearization, the recovery of soldiers’ remains from the Korean War and unspecified security guarantees for North Korea.

“I supported the president talking with the North Korean dictator because I do believe that has the potential for increasing our safety and eventually leading to the denuclearization of North Korea,” Collins said Sunday.

“There’s no doubt that in order to achieve that goal, we need verifiable, unimpeded, reliable inspections,” Collins added. “Without those inspections, we can have no guarantee that North Korea is not cheating once again.”

“I don’t think that the threat is over.”

Collins also pointed out North Korea has not tested any nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles since the Singapore summit.