The funniest part:

“I haven’t seen any evidence, […] but my speculation

Totally seems like a resonable and unbiased guy to ask (/s):

Maxwell, who co-authored the Pentagon’s original 1999 contingency plan with South Korea for the collapse of the North’s regime, […]

“That hasn’t been borne out,” said Maxwell, now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.