"Under the current circumstances, it's very hard" to hold any talks with the North, Koo said.But the timing of the launch so close to Moon's installation was largely coincidental, he said. "They are just going their way consistently towards the goal of attaining nuclear deterrence capability. "The bigger you are, the bigger the advantage you will have over negotiations. Otherwise, you will be looked down on," he told AFP. "In the Kim Jong-Il era, North Korea launched missiles to get Washington's attention," he said.

Source: Economic Times May 16, 2017 09:22 UTC