Kim Jong Un fired two ballistic missiles again. In view of the current political situation around North Korea, the bullets are seen as clear signals
After the latest missile tests over the weekend, North Korea under its dictator Kim Jong Un once again fired two ballistic missiles into the sea. According to the South Korean military, the missile tests were carried out on Wednesday during a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Seoul. Analysts consider the timing of the tests to be an unmistakable signal to Beijing, which is considered North Korea’s most important diplomatic ally and trading partner.
In contrast to cruise missiles, United Nations resolutions prohibit the self-declared nuclear power North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, which, depending on their design, can also carry nuclear warheads. The bullets started early Wednesday afternoon (local time) from Yangdok in the North Korean interior and then flew about 800 kilometers towards the Sea of Japan, said South Korea’s General Staff. “South Korean and US intelligence agencies are currently working on detailed analyzes,” it said in a statement.
Kim Jong Un wants to force China to act
North Korea expert Yang Moo Jin assessed the recent missile tests as “an indirect message from North Korea and even an invitation to Beijing to put the Korean peninsula as a central issue on the Chinese agenda”. At the same time, Pyongyang apparently wanted to demonstrate its supremacy on the Korean peninsula.
On Saturday and Sunday, North Korea claimed to have tested a new “long-range missile”. According to a report by the official news agency KCNA, the tests were “successful”. The missiles would have flown over North Korean land and sea and hit targets 1500 kilometers away. According to experts, North Korea indicated that the new cruise missile should also be equipped with nuclear warheads.
Ice Age between North Korea and Washington
Because of its nuclear and missile program, North Korea is subject to harsh international sanctions, which make the economy of the communist-led and largely isolated country difficult. Talks between the US and North Korea about the dismantling of the North Korean nuclear arsenal have been on hold since a summit meeting between ruler Kim Jong Un and then US President Donald Trump in 2019. Under the US President Joe Biden, who has been in office since the beginning of the year, there has so far been no rapprochement between Washington and Pyongyang.
The latest weapons tests by North Korea are therefore seen as a direct challenge to the administration of US President Joe Biden. So far, Pyongyang had rejected Washington’s offers to resume negotiations without conditions on the North Korean nuclear weapons program.
In the current test, the missiles reached an altitude of up to 60 kilometers, according to the South Korean military. Further details are still being analyzed together with US authorities. In Seoul – as usual in such cases – the National Security Council wanted to discuss the situation.
Japan is also assuming the launch of two ballistic missiles in the latest North Korean weapons test. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga condemned the test. This threatens “the peace and security of Japan and the region”. The rockets fell into the sea outside of Japan’s “exclusive economic zone”, reported the Japanese news agency Kyodo, citing the coast guard.
In the opinion of observers, North Korea’s new weapons test did not come as a surprise. As was the case a few months earlier, the latest weapon tests were carried out after a joint military exercise by the armed forces of the USA and South Korea. The commando exercise, which Pyongyang had sharply criticized, ended after nine days on August 26th. In March, North Korea had also launched cruise missiles after such a command exercise in South Korea. A test with short-range ballistic missiles followed a few days later.
For years, Pyongyang has been promoting the development of missiles that not only hit South Korea and Japan, but can also carry nuclear warheads as far as the USA. According to estimates by the American organization Arms Control Association from August 2020, there are 30 to 40 nuclear warheads in North Korea.
See in the video: The nightly parade took place last week on the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the state. Kim Jong Un showed up in a light-colored suit. His subjects demonstrated their admiration for their dictator with tears.
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