Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will never give up his nuclear weapons voluntarily under the current circumstances.

Bolton, who was dismissed earlier this month by U.S. President Donald Trump due to disagreements with the administration over North Korea policy and other issues, made the remark at a forum at the Center for Strategic and International Studies(CSIS) in Washington.

In his first public appearance since his dismissal, Bolton said that it seems to be clear that North Korea has not made a strategic decision to give up its nuclear weapons, and that he thinks the contrary is true. 

He added that the strategic decision that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is operating through is that he will do whatever he can to keep a deliverable nuclear weapons capability and to develop and enhance it further. 

Bolton then mentioned the need to consider military action against the North at some point, offering a "limited" regime change as a solution.  

Regarding the trade and history disputes between South Korea and Japan, Bolton said that the U.S. is making a "big mistake" by not paying enough attention.

[Photo : YONHAP News]