“Message to Beijing”: North Korea continues missile tests


“Message to Beijing”
North Korea continues missile testing

Just a few days ago, North Korea was testing new cruise missiles. Now the country is again firing missiles into the sea. The maneuver takes place at the same time as the Chinese foreign minister visits arch-rival South Korea. According to experts, this is no coincidence.

After the latest missile tests over the weekend, North Korea once again launched two ballistic missiles into the sea. According to the South Korean military, the missile tests were carried out during a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Seoul. Analysts consider the timing of the tests to be an unmistakable signal to Beijing, which is considered North Korea’s most important diplomatic ally and trading partner.

The rockets were fired from the interior of the country into the sea, said the general staff of Seoul. According to the South Korean military, they reached an altitude of up to 60 kilometers. “South Korean and US intelligence agencies are currently working on detailed analyzes,” the statement said. Initially, no information was given about the range of the missiles.

North Korea expert Yang Moo Jin assessed the recent missile tests as “an indirect message from North Korea and even an invitation to Beijing to put the Korean peninsula as a central issue on the Chinese agenda”. At the same time, Pyongyang apparently wanted to demonstrate its supremacy on the Korean peninsula.

Japan also assumed the launch of two ballistic missiles in the latest North Korean weapons test. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga condemned the test. This threatens “the peace and security of Japan and the region”. The rockets fell into the sea outside the “exclusive economic zone” of Japan, reported the Japanese news agency Kyodo, citing the coast guard.

“Successful” tests at the weekend

On Saturday and Sunday, North Korea claimed to have tested a new “long-range missile”. According to a report by the official news agency KCNA, the tests were “successful”. The missiles would have flown over North Korean land and sea and hit targets 1500 kilometers away.

Because of its nuclear and missile program, North Korea is subject to harsh international sanctions, which are making the economy of the communist-led and largely isolated country difficult to create. UN resolutions prohibit the self-proclaimed nuclear power North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, which, depending on their design, can also carry a nuclear warhead.

Talks between the US and North Korea about the dismantling of the North Korean nuclear arsenal have been on hold since a summit meeting between ruler Kim Jong Un and then US President Donald Trump in 2019. Under the US President Joe Biden, who has been in office since the beginning of the year, there has so far been no rapprochement between Washington and Pyongyang.

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