The South Korean military reported that North Korea extended its weapons testing efforts in response to the summertime military exercises between the United States and South Korea by launching several cruise missiles into the ocean on Saturday.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea said in a statement that the military of South Korea had discovered the launches early on Saturday morning off the west coast of the North.
According to the statement, South Korean and American intelligence agencies were examining the launches’ specifics. According to the report, South Korea has increased its monitoring capabilities and keeps a strong military preparedness in close cooperation with the US.
The launches took place two days after the troops of the United States and South Korea finished an 11-day training exercise that North Korea views as a drill for an invasion. Officials in both Washington and Seoul insist that their drills are defensive.
On August 21, the first day of the joint drills between the United States and South Korea, North Korean state media reported that Kim Jong Un had seen cruise missile launches.
North Korea announced it will make a third attempt in October after its second attempt to launch a military surveillance satellite into orbit failed on August 24.
North Korea: nuclear threat
Image source: India Today
More than 100 weapons tests have been conducted by North Korea since the year 2022, many of which have involved ballistic launches, which are prohibited by resolutions of the UN Security Council. Although North Korea is permitted to conduct cruise missile tests, doing so still puts its adversaries at risk because these weapons are built to fly at low altitudes and avoid radar detection. In the event of war, analysts claim that the primary objective of North Korean cruise missiles is to attack approaching US warships and aircraft carriers.
On Thursday, North Korea claimed to have launched two short-range ballistic missiles in a practice “scorched-earth” nuclear attack against South Korean military command centers and airfields.
The expansion of Kim’s missile and nuclear arsenals, according to foreign analysts, is a pretext for him to gain more negotiating leverage with the United States in the future. They claim Kim wants the North’s UN sanctions repealed in exchange for international recognition of the North as a legitimate nuclear power.
Experts claim that the two Koreas’ ties are at their lowest point in years. Kim has refused to sit down for talks about Pyongyang’s denuclearization despite South Korea’s repeated requests.
The dictator claims that North Korea is an “irreversible” nuclear power and that if hostile nations act against Pyongyang, they must be ready for the worst.
Kim conducted a field inspection before the US-South Korea military exercise and gave the order to mass produce weapons. Kim emphasized a “important goal to dramatically increase” missile production capacity to satisfy the demands of the enlarged and bolstered frontline military forces, according to the official news agency KCNA.
In order to prevent the adversary from using force and to ensure that it is destroyed if it does, Kim stressed that “our army must thoroughly secure overwhelming military power and solid readiness to handle any war at any time.”
