Stories
North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile Amid Rising US Tensions
- •North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea, flying 450 km, two days after threatening to bolster its nuclear deterrent.
- •South Korea’s military reported another projectile launch hours later and urged North Korea to halt launches banned by UN Security Council resolutions.
- •The launches follow North Korea's ongoing weapons tests, despite US President Trump scaling back military exercises with South Korea.
- •Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's sister, dismissed Trump's overture and criticized US-led military drills as provocative and aimed at prolonging US hegemony.
- •North Korea's recent actions, including a joint live-fire drill, are seen as efforts to expand its nuclear arsenal and gain leverage in potential diplomacy.
Key Questions Answered
South Korea held an emergency national security council meeting to condemn the launches as violations of UN Security Council resolutions and urged an immediate halt. Meanwhile, Japan's Defence Ministry noted the suspected missile launch and confirmed it did not land in its territorial waters, maintaining heightened surveillance alongside the United States.
North Korea condemned recent US-led multilateral maritime drills, specifically the "Pacific Vanguard" exercise involving the US, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Pyongyang's senior official Kim Yo Jong slammed these drills as frantic war rehearsals meant to prolong American hegemony.
After high-stakes diplomacy with US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019, Kim Jong Un has heavily focused on expanding his nuclear arsenal. He has also increasingly prioritized naval capabilities, including nuclear-powered submarines and underwater-launch-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, while seeking international recognition as a nuclear state.
