Special to WorldTribune.com

By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com

SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has shifted the nuclear game into a matter of national sovereignty as an offensive nuclear power, an issue that can never be put on the negotiating table, government officials and analysts here said.

It is a significant departure from the tactics employed by his father and grandfather who wanted to use the nuclear program as a card for the destitute, reclusive nation in its game of obtaining diplomatic recognition and economic concessions or as a defensive deterrent to external threats, the North Korean specialists said.

“It marks a fundamental change in North Korea’s decades-long nuclear strategy, which calls for neighboring nations, including South Korea, the United States and China to overhaul their North Korea policies,” a government source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Kim Jong-Un, who ascended to power following the abrupt death of his father Kim Jong-Il in December 2011, has described nuclear and rocket tests as the “biggest legacy” of his late father, a bid seen to bolster his credentials and legitimacy as the leader of the reclusive dynasty.

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  Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-Un changes the game by taking the nuclear card off the table, third nuclear test