After the U.S. and South Korea finished their joint military exercises, North Korea has restarted its missile testing activities.
On Monday morning, North Korea launched numerous short-range ballistic missiles towards its eastern waters, as reported by neighboring countries. This comes just days after the conclusion of joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, which North Korea perceives as a practice for an invasion.
North Korea conducted its first known missile tests in approximately one month. Experts previously believed that North Korea would continue launching missiles and increasing aggressive rhetoric leading up to the U.S. presidential election in November, aiming to strengthen its bargaining power for future diplomatic discussions.
The Japanese Defense Ministry reported that three missiles were launched by North Korea. Two were launched simultaneously at 7:44 a.m., followed by another 37 minutes later. According to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the missiles landed in the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, outside of Japan’s economic zone, and there have been no reports of any harm or casualties.
Kim Jong Un led a succession of military drills that focused on tanks, artillery weapons, and paratroopers, while also emphasizing the need for enhanced warfighting skills. The joint South Korean-U.S. exercises spanned 11 days and included computer-simulated training at a command post and 48 different field exercises, double the amount from the previous year.
During the training of its rivals, the North refrained from conducting any missile tests. However, its missile tests are viewed as more significant acts of provocation because North Korea has been actively working towards equipping its missiles with nuclear warheads in order to target the United States and its allies. While some experts believe that North Korea already possesses nuclear-capable missiles that can reach South Korea and Japan, it has not yet successfully developed long-range missiles that can reach the mainland United States.
Prior to Monday’s launch, North Korea’s most recent missile tests occurred in mid-February, when they fired cruise missiles into the ocean.
Tensions continue to run strong on the Korean Peninsula after North Korea launched a series of missile tests beginning in 2022. These tests included long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons and targeting both South Korea and the mainland United States. As a result, the United States and South Korea have increased their joint training exercises and have also involved Japan in trilateral drills.
According to experts, it is likely that North Korea believes possessing a larger arsenal of weapons would give them more leverage in potential diplomacy with the United States. It is also believed that North Korea desires to obtain significant sanctions relief while still retaining their nuclear weapons.
Concerns about North Korea’s military actions have intensified following Kim’s declaration in a January speech to amend the constitution with the intent of abandoning the nation’s longstanding pursuit of peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Instead, he plans to solidify South Korea as the “constant primary foe” of North Korea. He also stated that the revised constitution would include provisions for North Korea to annex and dominate the South in the event of another war.
Some experts predict that North Korea may engage in minor acts of aggression near its highly volatile border with South Korea. However, they also believe that the chances of North Korea launching a large-scale attack are low since their military is significantly outnumbered by the combined forces of the U.S. and South Korea.
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Source: cbsnews.com