North Korea fires ballistic missile in resumption of testing

 

North Korea fires ballistic missile in the resumption of testing

This year's missile launch was the eighth of its kind.

North Korea fires ballistic missile in the resumption of testing

SEOUL, Republic of South Korea —North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday, according to its neighbors, in a restart of weapons testing as the US and its allies concentrate on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This year's missile launch was the eighth of its kind. According to some analysts, North Korea is attempting to develop its weapons technology to pressure the US into making concessions such as sanctions relief amid long-stalled disarmament discussions. North Korea may potentially use the United States' concern with the Ukraine situation as an opportunity to ramp up testing without fear of significant retaliation from Washington.

The North Korean missile flew around 190 miles at a maximum height of about 370 miles before landing off North Korea's eastern coast, beyond Japan's exclusive economic zone, according to Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi. According to him, no damage to boats or planes has been recorded.

"Such an act is completely unacceptable if North Korea purposefully carried out the missile launch when the international world is preoccupied with Russia's invasion of Ukraine," he told reporters. "Whatever the motivations, North Korea's repeated missile launches are completely reprehensible, and we cannot ignore significant missile and nuclear progress."

Officials from South Korea claimed they detected the launch from the North's capital region and voiced "deep worry and great sorrow."

Top South Korean officials warned the timing of the launch, which coincided with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, "is not ideal at all for peace and stability in the world and on the Korean Peninsula," according to the presidential Blue House.

Later on Sunday, the US Indo-Pacific Command criticized the launch and urged North Korea to avoid additional provocative actions. Though Sunday's launch did not represent an imminent danger to US territory or those of its allies, the US commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan "remains unwavering," according to a statement.

The launch occurred a day after North Korea issued its first reaction to the Ukraine conflict in the form of an essay written by a government expert in which he showed support for Russia while criticizing the US.

Ri Ji Song, a researcher at a North Korean state-run institute on international politics, wrote on the Foreign Ministry's website: "The basic cause of the Ukraine incident is the United States' high-handedness and arbitrariness, which has ignored Russia's legitimate calls for security guarantees in favor of global hegemony and military dominance while clinging to its sanctions campaigns."

Ri chastised Washington for its "arrogance" and "double standards" in characterizing its adversaries' defensive strategies as provocations or injustices.

Before its breakup in the early 1990s, the former Soviet Union was North Korea's largest assistance supplier. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been attempting to normalize relations with North Korea in what is viewed as an effort to reclaim Russia's old spheres of influence and obtain additional friends to better cope with the US.

Professor Leif-Eric Easley of Ewha University in Seoul believes the Biden administration must demonstrate a strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific region, especially by forcefully responding to Pyongyang's provocations.

"While the world struggles with Russia's actions against Ukraine, North Korea is not going to do anyone any favours by being silent," Easley added. Pyongyang has set a lofty goal for military modernisation. The power and legitimacy of the Kim government have become inextricably linked to the testing of ever-improved missiles. "

 

North Korea launched seven missile tests last month, the most in a single month since leader Kim Jong Un seized control in late 2011. North Korea stopped testing when the Winter Olympics began earlier this month in China, its last major ally and economic conduit. After the games, several observers believed it would restart launches and potentially test larger weapons.

Following the Olympics, Kim wrote to Chinese President Xi Jinping, urging further strengthening of bilateral ties "into the invincible one" in the face of "the undisguised hostile policy and military threat of the United States and its satellite armies."

 

According to North Korean official media, Xi responded to Kim last week, stating China is eager to expand relations.

When then-President Donald Trump rejected Kim's demands for extensive sanctions relief in exchange for limited denuclearization steps during their second summit in Vietnam in early 2019, US-led diplomacy aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear programme in exchange for economic and political benefits collapsed.

Since then, US officials have frequently advocated for the restart of discussions without preconditions, but Pyongyang has stated that it would not return to the table unless Washington removes its antagonism.