North Korea uses Pacific Ocean for military tests
2023.02.20 01:18
North Korea uses Pacific Ocean for military tests
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – On Monday, North Korea launched two more ballistic missiles off its east coast. The powerful sister of the country’s leader Kim Jong Un also issued a warning to U.S. forces to halt military drills, stating that the nuclear state could transform the Pacific into a “firing range.”
The launches come just two days after North Korea launched an ICBM into the sea off Japan’s west coast. This prompted the United States to hold air exercises on Sunday, one with South Korea and the other with Japan.
The state media in North Korea confirmed that two projectiles were fired from a multiple rocket launcher at distances of 395 kilometers (245 miles) and 337 kilometers (209 miles), respectively.
State news agency KCNA stated, “The 600mm multiple rocket launcher mobilized in the firing… is a means of tactical nuclear weapon” and that it was able to “paralyze” an enemy airfield.
According to the Defense Ministry of Japan, the two missiles were launched around 2200 GMT, reached a maximum altitude of approximately 50 kilometers, and they landed outside of Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
According to Jiji news agency, Fumio Kishida, the prime minister of Japan, has requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council regarding the launches. The meeting is scheduled for Monday at 2000 GMT.
The launches were strongly condemned by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea as a “grave provocation” that should be stopped immediately.
In what it called its quickest response to the North’s provocations to date, Seoul’s foreign ministry announced sanctions on four individuals and five entities linked to Pyongyang’s weapons programs on Monday in response to the most recent ICBM and missile tests.
“The cost of North Korea’s provocations has been made abundantly clear by our government. The ministry stated in a statement that “its repeated provocations will result in strengthening the deterrence between South Korea and the United States and tightening the global sanctions network.”
According to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the most recent launch does not present a threat right away but rather demonstrates the “destabilizing impact” of North Korea’s illegal weapons programs.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the United Nations, urged Pyongyang to resume denuclearization talks and “immediately desist from taking any further provocative actions,” which are prohibited by Security Council resolutions.
Following the weekend’s joint air drills with its Asian allies, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong, issued a warning against an increased presence of strategic military assets owned by the United States.
In a statement that was distributed by KCNA, she stated, “The frequency of using the Pacific as our firing range depends on the action character of the U.S. forces.”
This week, the United States and South Korea are scheduled to hold annual Freedom Shield field training in the springtime and simulated nuclear tabletop exercises with the goal of improving the operation of American nuclear assets.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, stated, “Tension on the Peninsula is likely to reach its peak in the coming months as North Korea is accelerating its military actions with greater frequency, and her statement indicates that it would continue impromptu missile tests using the Pacific as its shooting range.”
According to Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Monday’s missile launch and statement are consistent with the North Korean foreign ministry’s recent threat to respond to the allies’ joint military drills with “unprecedentedly persistent, strong” actions.
Park stated, “North Korea appears to be trying to strengthen its nuclear capability by raising the issue of the drills.”
After firing an unprecedented number of missiles last year, including ICBMs capable of striking anywhere in the United States, the North has conducted its third known weapon test this year.
Additionally, Kim Yo Jong criticized the assessment made by some experts in South Korea that the “sudden” ICBM test necessitated nine hours of preparation, stating that the launch time was set after the U.S. and South Korean scout planes involved in air patrols left.
She stated, “We have sufficient technology and capability, and we will now concentrate on increasing the quantity of their force.” We reaffirm our determination to see the worst maniacs who are escalating the tensions pay the price for their actions.
