A television screen shows an image of a North Korean missile launch on a newscast at Seoul Train Station, South Korea March 19, 2023. AHN YOUNG-JOON/AP
It was, in fact, Pyongyang’s fourth show of force in a week. The launch of ballistic missiles reported by the South Korean army over the weekend was confirmed by the North Korean state agency KCNA on Monday, March 20.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday and Sunday conducted military drills to transition to a nuclear counterattack posture, as well as a drill to “launch a tactical ballistic missile equipped with a dummy nuclear warhead,” according to KCNA. “The missile was equipped with a test warhead that simulated a nuclear warhead,” the agency later said, without giving further details.
Kim Jong-un expressed his “satisfaction” after this drill weekend, which KCNA said was organized to “allow affected units to become familiar with the procedures and processes for conducting their tactical nuclear strike missions.”
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers A high-tension start to the year between North Korea and South Korea
The leader said the drills on Saturday and Sunday inspired “great confidence” in North Korea’s military units, according to KCNA. According to him, North Korea “cannot really deter war just because it is a state. [doté] of nuclear weapons”, and the country will only be able to achieve its goals “when nuclear power is perfected [pour devenir] a means actually capable of carrying out an attack against the enemy”.
“Serious provocation,” Seoul said
Seoul chiefs of staff said the short-range ballistic missile launched by Pyongyang on Sunday flew 800 kilometers before crashing into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.
According to the South Korean army, it is a “serious provocation” in violation of United Nations sanctions. The American and South Korean secret services are conducting analyses. Tokyo, too, condemned the shooting, as did US military command in the area.
These test firings come at a time when Seoul and Washington are conducting their largest joint military exercises in five years, dubbed the “Freedom Shield,” and will last 11 days. North Korea sees all of these drills as rehearsals for an invasion of its territory and has repeatedly warned it will respond to them “overwhelmingly.”
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers In the shadow of the United States, Japan and South Korea are moving closer together in the areas of security and economy
Washington and Seoul have increased their defense cooperation amid the growing military and nuclear threat posed by Pyongyang, which has prompted increased weapons testing in recent months.
United Front of South Korea and Japan
On Thursday, Pyongyang fired its Hwasong-17 ICBM, the most powerful in its arsenal, in the presence of leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter and shortly before a visit to Japan by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Cold for years due to a historic dispute, the two neighbors have resumed speaking at the highest level and decided to form a united front against North Korea.
Test your general knowledge by writing the “world”
Discover
It was Pyongyang’s second ICBM test this year, which KCNA said was in response to “frantic” military exercises by South Korea and the United States at the time. The shot itself came after the launch of two short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday and March 12 from two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine.
Also Read: North Korea: With More Frequent Longer-Range Missile Launches, Pyongyang Threat Has Increased Tenfold Since 1984
The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold a meeting on the ICBM launch on Monday at the request of Washington and Tokyo, according to Yonhap news agency.
In 2022, Pyongyang called its status as a nuclear power “irreversible”. Mr. Kim recently called for an exponential increase in its weapons production, including tactical nuclear weapons. In early March, he also ordered his army to intensify military maneuvers in the face of “real war.”