A recent statement by James Clapper, the US Director of the National Intelligence attracted much attention from North Korea watchers and international media.

Talking in New York, James Clapper said that there is virtually no chance of North Korean nuclear disarmament – or, to be more precise, he said that U.S. efforts towards denuclearization are “probably a lost cause.”

Frankly, there is nothing new or surprising in what James Clapper said. A number of North Korea specialists, including yours truly, have been saying something to this effect since the early 2000s – well before the first North Korean nuclear test