March 4 (Asia Today) -- U.S. experts say a military operation similar to the recent U.S.-Israeli strike that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be far more difficult to carry out against North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
While the operation against Iran may create psychological pressure on Pyongyang, analysts say the strategic environment surrounding North Korea - including its nuclear weapons, support from China and Russia and the risk to U.S. allies in Northeast Asia - makes a leadership decapitation strike far more dangerous.
The assessments were discussed Wednesday during a seminar in Washington hosted by the Korea Economic Institute and the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security Studies examining the United States' new National Defense Strategy and its implications for the Indo-Pacific.
'Kim Jong Un is not Khamenei'
Ellen Kim, academic director at the Korea Economic Institute, said comparisons between Iran and North Korea overlook critical strategic differences.
