Rocket launched from ship
Kim Jong Un oversees cruise missile testing
8/21/2023 1:39 am
The United States and South Korea want to start major military maneuvers this Monday. The reaction from North Korea is believed to have come beforehand: the state news agency has published images intended to show ruler Kim Jong Un attending a missile test.
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a cruise missile launch test while visiting a naval unit. This was reported by the state news agency KCNA, without naming the date of the ruler’s visit. Observers see the test as a reaction to joint military exercises by South Korea and the United States.
The eleven-day summer maneuver “Ulchi Freedom Shield” (UFS) between the two countries is scheduled to begin this Monday. The purpose of the exercises is to strengthen the Alliance’s defenses and responsiveness. North Korea regularly accuses the two countries of preparing for an attack with their exercises – which Seoul and Washington deny.
North Korea is prohibited by UN resolutions from testing ballistic missiles, which – depending on the design – can also carry nuclear warheads. Tests of cruise missiles are not subject to sanctions against Pyongyang. However, such weapons can also be used to deploy nuclear warheads. After an unprecedented series of missile tests last year, North Korea has again tested multiple missiles and guided missiles this year.
Recently, the United States also announced that it would strengthen its defense cooperation with South Korea and Japan. “This also includes annual military exercises in several areas,” said US President Joe Biden last Friday after a summit with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David. Cooperation in the defense sector should be brought to an “unprecedented level”. With a view to North Korea, one also wants to expand cooperation in the field of ballistic missile defense, said Biden.