North Korea is concerned about US-South Korea joint military exercises. Before the start of new maneuvers in South Korea, North Korean media report on a weapons test.
The self-proclaimed nuclear power North Korea has said it has fired military guided missiles into the sea to deter its enemies. The state media reported that ruler Kim Jong Un supervised the test of “strategic cruise missiles” during a visit to a naval ship squadron in the Sea of Japan (Korean: East Sea).
The launches from a patrol ship were therefore successful. The general staff in South Korea described the information from the isolated neighboring country as “exaggerated and deviating from the facts”. Details were not given.
Conflict with the USA and South Korea
North Korea released the reports of Kim’s inspection ahead of the start of new drills by South Korean and US forces. The two countries began their joint eleven-day summer maneuver “Ulchi Freedom Shield” (UFS) as planned today, as South Korean broadcasters reported.
The exercises are primarily aimed at countering threats from North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons programs. Pyongyang regularly accuses both countries of preparing for an attack with their exercises – which Seoul and Washington deny. North Korea sees the US and South Korea as enemies.
When exactly the latest weapons test took place was not mentioned in the North Korean media. The exercise was reportedly intended to validate the ship’s combat capability and enable the marines to carry out “an offensive mission in a current war.” An important task of the own navy is to “frustrate the enemy’s intention to go to war”.
Tripartite Summit at Camp David
North Korea is banned by UN resolutions from testing ballistic missiles, which – depending on the design – can also carry nuclear warheads. Tests of cruise missiles are not subject to sanctions against Pyongyang. However, such weapons can also be used to deploy nuclear warheads. After an unprecedented series of missile tests last year, North Korea has again tested multiple missiles and guided missiles this year.
At a three-way summit meeting on Friday at Camp David in the United States, the United States, Japan and South Korea agreed, among other things, to significantly strengthen cooperation in the defense sector.
After meeting US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed his hope at a cabinet meeting in Seoul that the trilateral cooperation would reduce “the risk of North Korean provocations”.
Source: Stern
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