North Korea’s Nuclear Force Will be Checked out by the Launch of the Ballistic Missile at the Seoul/Japan Border

The country’s nuclear force will be checked out by the launch of the weapon. The missile was fired at a high altitude, flew for a while, and hit the area between the Korean Peninsula and Japan in 67 minutes.

After meeting with his counterpart at the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin accused North Korea of being irresponsible and reckless.

He said that they were not disarming against North Korea. “But we are not closing the dialogue channel with North Korea … as long as North Korea is abstaining from their very strong nuclear ambitions.”

South Korea has long been careful not to take sides in the rivalry between the United States and China, benefiting from a national strategy known as “anmigyeongjung,” which loosely translates to “the United States for security and China for the economy.”

The launches — all supervised by Kim — included a nuclear-capable ballistic missile launched under a reservoir in the northeast; other ballistic missiles designed to launch nuclear strikes on South Korean airfields, ports and command facilities; and a new-type ground-to-ground ballistic missile that flew over Japan, KCNA reported. It said that in the country’s first-ever live firing and other training 150 warplanes were flown.

The US and Japan launched a joint response to the North Korean missile launch on Tuesday, flying US Marine Corps and Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets over the Sea of Japan.

The state-run media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)’s report on the launch said the Korean People’s Army (KPA) mobilized two 600 mm radial guns and fired multiple projectiles. South Korea considers missiles larger than 600mm to be missiles.

“This is not the first time we’ve done this in response to provocations by the North to make sure that we can demonstrate our own capabilities,” Kirby told CNN’s Pamela Brown on the “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

“North Korea is going to keep conducting missile tests until the current round of modernization is done. I don’t think a nuclear (test) explosion is far behind,” Lewis said.

“There is simply no practical plan at this point, especially in the short term, to bring North Korea to the negotiating table and to pursue denuclearization.”

The aggressive acceleration in weapons testing has sparked alarm in the region, with the US, South Korea and Japan responding with missile launches and joint military exercises.

North Korea test-fired more than 70 missiles last year, including three short-range ballistic missiles detected by South Korea on Saturday. The testing spree is indicative of the country’s nuclear program. Observers say the North was also able to continue its banned missile tests because China and Russia have blocked the U.S. and others from toughening U.N. sanctions at the Security Council.

The events of the last few years, such as Kim’s victory over Covid in August, and the new US administration’s focus on show of unity with South Korea, make this the right time.

I would expect that North Korean engineers and generals are very eager to make sure their toys are a success, because they have been unable to test for quite a few years due to political considerations.

Jeffrey Lewis, a weapons expert and professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said it’s also normal for North Korea to pause testing during the stormy summer and resume once weather improved in the fall.

He added that Kim’s weapons testing serves a dual purpose: apart from making a statement to the international community, it also boosts his own image domestically and cements the regime’s power.

“They want to remind the world that they should not be ignored, that they exist and their engineers are working around the clock to develop both nuclear weapons and delivery systems,” said Lankov.

“North Korean missile firings are often tests of technologies under development, and it will be notable if Pyongyang claims progress with a long-range solid-fuel missile,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. “The Kim regime may also tout this launch as a response to U.S. defense cooperation with South Korea and sanctions diplomacy at the United Nations.”

Schuster said that the missiles tests began in January and that they began to report on what Russian President Vladimir Putin was up to. Kim believes he can get away with it and does not expect a strong US reaction.

Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine is said to have boosted Kim’s confidence because he knows he can have impunity with nuclear weapons. And if you don’t have nuclear weapons, you’re in trouble.”

Despite the quick military response this past week by the US and allies, experts say there is no way to stop North Korea from carrying out its weapons tests.

The missile tests were in response to the naval drills between U.S. and South Korean forces in which the nuclear powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan was involved.

North Korea’s first test-launched missile system: The KCNA report from September 25 to October 9, 2018, during a joint training session between the United States and China

The North lacks the widespread use of technology that facilitates economic and societal advances, but also provides important information to the intelligence services of the US and its allies.

Schuster said that Kim is worried about the people under him as much as he is about the outside. Kim told his senior people, “We can deal with whatever the threat the West, US and South Korean can come up with.”

In May, Russia and China vetoed a US-drafted UN resolution to strengthen sanctions on North Korea for its weapons testing – the first time either country had blocked a sanction vote against the North since 2006.

The law shows that North Korea hopes to strengthen its relations with China and Russia, according to a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.

An Army Tactical Missile System is fired during a joint training session between the United States and South Korea, on October 5 at an undisclosed location.

KCNA, the state-run media in North Korea, has not reported any missile launches for months.

If the Communist Party Congress takes place later this month, Kim might wait until then, Schuster and Lankov said.

The most important event in Chinese politics this year is the meeting of the party elite, where leaders are expected to reappoint China’s most powerful leader in decades, Hu Jintao.

Schuster said Kim can’t do anything to detract from the Party Congress because his country depends too much on Chinese aid. “So although China can’t dictate to him what he must do … he will not cause them problems.”

South Korean and US officials have been warning since May that North Korea may be preparing for its first nuclear test since 2017, with satellite imagery showing activity at its underground nuclear test site.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that during seven launches of the tactical nuclear operation units there were actual war capabilities shown to the full.

The KCNA report said the recent drills, from September 25 to October 9, were designed to send a “strong military reaction warning to the enemies” and to verify and improve the country’s fighting capabilities.

The launch was North Korea’s first since Jan. 1, when it test-fired a short-range weapon. There was a parade last week in which Kim Jung Un watched as troops rolled out more than a dozen ICBMs.

The test-launched missiles from a submarine, and the first of its kind, were also the first of their kind.

Kim Dong-yub, a professor at Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies, said North Korea likely aims to diversify launch sites to make it difficult for its enemies to detect its missile liftoffs in advance and conduct preemptive strikes.

KCNA said when the weapon launched from the reservoir was flying above the sea target, North Korean authorities confirmed the reliability of the explosion of the missile’s warhead, apparently a dummy one, at the set altitude.

The photos on the launches were released by North Korea. One of them showed Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju, both wearing t-shirts with frowning faces. Ri is seen in the image as a political leader because it is her first time observing a weapons launch with her husband.

“Such provocations, including drone incursions, appear excessive for deterrence and may be intended to scare South Korea into taking a softer policy. But with Kim disavowing diplomacy and threatening to mass produce nuclear weapons, the Yoon administration is likely to further increase South Korea’s defense capabilities and readiness,” Easley said.

A professor at Ewha University in South Korea said North Korea has many different reasons for publishing a high-profile missile story. KimJongUn’s public appearance after a month-long absence provides a patriotic headline to celebrate the founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party.

Joint Task Force 70/Case Carrier Strike Group 5: South Korea, the North’s Nuclear Arms and the Future of a Nuclear Counterstrike Mission

The launches are not just about the missiles themselves, but about the units that launch them. Lewis said that suggests the systems are deployed.

Camp Humphreys is the largest US military installation outside of the United States and has a population of more than 35,000 service members, civilians, contractors and family members.

During the six-day meeting meant to determine new state objectives, Kim called for “an exponential increase of the country’s nuclear arsenal” to mass produce battlefield tactical nuclear weapons targeting South Korea. He also presented a task to develop a new ICBM missioned with a “quick nuclear counterstrike” capability — a weapon he needs to strike the mainland U.S. The North’s first military satellite will be launched “at the earliest date possible”, he said.

Kim further emphasized that Pyongyang will thoroughly monitor enemies’ military movements and “strongly take all military countermeasures” if needed, KCNA stated.

A US Navy aircraft carrier strike group participated in several days of bilateral and trilateral exercises with South Korean and Japanese units that ended Saturday, a statement from the US Navy’s Task Force 70 said.

“Our commitment to regional security and the defense of our allies and partners is demonstrated by our flexibility and adaptability to move this strike group to where it is needed,” said Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly, commander of Task Force 70/Carrier Strike Group 5.

Japan’s Joint Staff said the security environment around Japan was becoming “increasingly severe” and that drills with the US Navy were strengthening the alliance’s capability to respond to threats.

The report said the missiles flew for almost two hours above the sea before hitting their target.

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The details of the reports can’t be trusted and should not be taken for granted, said an Ewha Womans University professor. The Kim regime is sometimes transparent about its weapons development goals but it also exaggerates strength and capabilities.

Kim said North Korean missile tests show a progressing program even if current strengths are overstated.

A cruise missile is powered by a jet engine, stays inside Earth’s atmosphere during its flight and is maneuverable with control surfaces similar to an airplane’s.

Cruise missiles have smaller payloads than ballistic missiles, so would require a smaller nuclear warhead than a missile designed to hit the mainland United States, such as an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The United Nations Security Council has resolutions that ban the testing of missiles by North Korea, but they do not prohibit the testing of cruise missiles.

“Policymakers in Seoul, Tokyo and Washington should not allow domestic politics and other challenges such as Russia’s war in Ukraine to prevent them from increasing international coordination on military deterrence and economic sanctions” on Pyongyang, he said.

There have been previous precedents for the United States to take a softer stance. Israel, India, and Pakistan have nuclear weapons, but the US chose to live with them without brandished weapons.

Israel has never acknowledged its nuclear capability, which is the worst-kept secret in the world. But it does not openly flaunt its capability, which made it much easier for Arab neighbors like Egypt not to pursue their own nuclear programs in response. The United States turned a blind eye to India until it conducted a round of tests in 1998. Washington set aside their concerns so that they could work in other areas.

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Had the Trump administration taken this approach three years ago, we might be in a very different place today. By now, no, North Korea wouldn’t be disarmed. We could be exploring other ways to reduce tension and possibly even have some kind of gesture toward disarmament in exchange for sanctions relief and economic assistance. This isn’t ideal, but much better than the weapons build up in North Korea.

Easley also noted that it’s not just missiles that North Korea is using to up the military pressure on the South. Last week, five drones from North Korean were flown into South Korean airspace, and then it was up to South Korean fighter jets and helicopter to track them and send its own drones in.

North Korean aircraft approached the no-fly zone straddling the border between 10:30 p.m. Thursday and 12:20 a.m. Friday, according to the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a move that Pyongyang followed up just hours later with its 27th missile launch of the year.

The South Korean military confirmed to CNN that an artillery exercise had taken place 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border but said it did not violate an agreement with the North regulating such exercises. According to the claims by the South Koreans, the agreement was violated by 170 rounds of mortars fired into the sea off its west coast.

The sanctions target 15 individuals who “contributed to bringing supplies related to the funding of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and missile development,” South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a news release.

Seongju County, which includes this village, had been known mainly for its farming community before residents grabbed national headlines protesting the arrival of the Thaad system five years ago. Villagers here — and many South Koreans elsewhere — were concerned that it could place South Korea on the front lines of a potential Sino-American conflict.

As Beijing and Washington fight over issues such as Taiwan, fears have been raised. Numerous anti-American banners line both sides of the road that winds through the village and up to the American military base. Yankees, go home! Thaad, go home!” they demand.

Ms. Do and 20 other people sat on plastic chairs in the middle of the road during a protest against Thaad. We need peace! An hour later, police officers ​removed them — carrying them in their chairs — so the road could be cleared for trucks and water and fuel tanks going up the hill to the Thaad base​.

South Korea’s response to the North Korean nuclear missile launch: “We are all holding our breath,” the UN’s nuclear watchdog says

Washington has provided security for Seoul since the Korean War. But after South Korea established diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1992, China quickly replaced the United States as the country’s biggest trading partner, helping to fuel a thriving, export-driven economy​. About 30 percent of South Korean exports go to China or Hong Kong​ — almost equaling the country’s trade with the ​United States, Japan and Europe combined.

The missile launch by the North Korean regime did not pose an immediate threat to the US or our allies despite being aware of it, according to the US military.

Both countries conducted joint air training on Sunday, according to South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense just says after North Korea warned Friday of “unprecedented strong responses” if military exercises were conducted.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said, “everybody is holding their breath about a potential North Korean nuclear test, which could provide further confirmation of a program which is moving full steam ahead in a way that is incredibly concerning.”

“We are following this very, very closely. IAEA Director-General, Rafael Grossi said they hope it doesn’t happen, but unfortunately indications go in another direction.

The projectiles triggered an alert and prompted some residents to seek shelter in South Korea and Japan.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the launches “intolerable.” The government in Japan initially said the ICBM had flown over the main island of Honshu, but later said it had been a mistake. The last intermediate range missile fired by North Korea was over Japan.

He suggests that the area where the North Korean missile fell could endanger the livelihoods of South Koreans and possibly cause an “existential threat to South Korea”.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the participation of the B-1Bs in the joint drills demonstrated the allies’ readiness to “sternly respond” to North Korean provocations and the U.S. commitment to defend its ally with the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear.

South Korea scrambled about 80 fighter jets after detecting a large number of North Korean warplanes during a four-hour period Friday, the country’s military said, in a further escalation of regional tensions.

High-energy missile launches from North Korea at the Security Council: The US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield and the Secretary of State to the UN

“We’ve said before these kinds of activities are destabilizing to the region potentially. So we call on them to cease that type of activity and to begin to engage in serious dialogue,” Austin said.

The Security Council is going to discuss the recent missile launches from North Korea. An open meeting was called for by the US Mission to the UN, as well as the UK, the US, and France.

In an interview with CNN, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that North Korea had broken multiple Security Council resolutions.

Thomas-Greenfield said the UN would be “putting pressure” on China and Russia to improve and enhance such sanctions. She declined to say whether US President Joe Biden would raise sanctions with China’s President Xi at the G20 but said it was “on the President’s mind.”

Such displays of American military might annoy North Korea. The B-1B was switched to conventional weapons in the 1990’s, but the North continued to refer to it as a “nuclear strategic bomber”.

The allies decided to extend the training to Saturday because of a series of North Korea’s missile tests on Thursday, which included an ICBM that halted trains in northern Japan.

It followed that early Sunday with another test. The Saturday and Sunday tests were for a 600mm multiple- launch rocket system. Most launch systems in use around the world are around 300mm in size.

The 600mm MRL was first introduced three years ago, and production has been increased since late October of 2022 for deployment, Kim said in his speech to the plenary session on Saturday, according to KCNA. He later added that an additional 30 of the 600mm MRL will be deployed to the military simultaneously.

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“Its recent missile launches were not technically impressive. Instead, the high volume of tests at unusual times and from various locations demonstrate that North Korea could launch different types of attack, anytime, and from many directions,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

“Its recent missile launches were not technically impressive. Instead, the high volume of tests at unusual times and from various locations demonstrate that North Korea could launch different types of attack, anytime, and from many directions,” Easley said.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in January that it would spend more than $3 billion over the next decade to improve the capabilities of its fleet of F/15K fighters, which will be key players in any strike on North Korea.

Washington is not still. The Space Force command on foreign soil in South Korea has been activated by the US military as they deploy assets like F-22 fighters and B-1 bomber to the exercises around the Korean Peninsula.

According to the US Force Korea, the new unit will be responsible for coordinating space operations and services like missile warning, position navigation and timing and satellite communications.

Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told CNN in mid-December that Pyongyang has emerged as a missile power.

Panda said the reference to a new ICBM appears to concern a solid-propellant system, which could be tested soon. He said a satellite launch could take place in April, a month that includes a key state anniversary.

“Kim’s comments from the party meeting reads like an ambitious — but perhaps achievable — New Year’s resolution list,” said Soo Kim, a security analyst at the California-based RAND Corporation. It’s ambitious, that Kim consciously chose to spell out what he hoped to accomplish, but it also shows faith on Kim’s part.

The new year has started but our security situation is still very grave, according to the president of South Korea. “We must punish the enemy with determination and bravery if we want to risk a fight,” stated the military’s website.

“It was during his 2018 New Year’s speech that (Kim) first ordered the mass production of warheads and ballistic missiles, and he’s doubling down on that quantitative expansion goal in the coming year,” said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The Hwasong 17 intercontinental missile test flight was similar to the one that happened in November, which showed that it could reach the US mainland.

Japanese government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said no damage has been reported from the missile, which landed within Japan’s exclusive economic zone, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Oshima island. Hokkaido’s main island is located off the western coast of Oshima.

The White House’s National Security Council said that the launch raises tensions and could endanger the security situation in the region.

The unprecedented number of missiles underscored a continuation of expansion of his country’s military capabilities despite limited resources while negotiations with Washington remain stalemated.

The Hwasong-15 is one of North Korea’s three existing ICBMs, all of which use liquid propellants that require pre-launch injections and cannot remain fueled for extended periods. The North is pushing to build a solid-fueled ICBM, which would be more mobile and harder to detect before its launch.

South Korea and the U.S. will also hold a one-day tabletop exercise next week at the Pentagon to sharpen a response to a potential use of nuclear weapons by North Korea.

The US and Japanese governments warned in January about the expansion of China’s nuclear arsenal. Just days later, Japan’s prime minister expressed concern over China’s military activities in the East China Sea, and the launch of ballistic missiles over Taiwan that landed in waters near Japan in August.

The launch of the Hwasong-15 ICBM was abrupt, and without prior notice, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The launch of the Hwasong 15 demonstrated that the North’s “powerful physical nuclear deterrent” is so strong that it cannot be countered, KCNA said.

“I warn that we will watch every movement of the enemy and take corresponding and very powerful and overwhelming counteraction against its every move hostile to us,” she said.

South Korea and Japan’s response to the potential of its nuclear capabilities on the Korean Peninsula: A joint security conference and a debate on the issue of forced laborers mobilization

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan, meeting on the sidelines of a security conference in Germany on Saturday, agreed to boost a trilateral cooperation involving the United States and exchanged in-depth views on the issue of Japan’s colonial-era mobilization of forced Korean laborers — a key sticking point in efforts to improve their ties, according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry.

US Air Force B-1B strategic bombers were deployed on the Korean Peninsula with an escort assistance from F-35As, F-15Ks, and F-16s from the South Korean and U.S. Air Forces, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said.

The first missile was flown for 400 km (248 miles) at a top altitude of 100 km (60 miles) according to Japan’s Defense Ministry. At a maximum altitude of around 50 km, the second missile was fired.

The coast guard issued an alert to vessels on Monday morning and said to keep an eye out for further information. The agency told vessels to stay away from falling objects, and to report any seen objects to the coast guard.

The sister of the North Korean leader released a statement around the time of the suspected missile launch.

According to the statement posted on KCNA, Kim claims that North Korea has “satisfactory technology and capabilities” for missile reentry, but it’s up to them to increase the number of forces.

“Instead of doubting or worrying about other people’s technologies, it would be better to think more deeply about countermeasures to defend yourself,” Kim said.

She also said that if North Korea deemed the presence of US forces in the region as a threat, they would take “corresponding measures,” and added, “the frequency of using the Pacific Ocean as our shooting range depends on the nature of the US military’s actions.”

Several recent public surveys “definitely showed that we should re-arm ourselves. In nuclear capability terms, (the surveys say) we should go farther,” Han told CNN anchor and business editor-at-large Richard Quest during a sit-down in Seoul.

A survey done in February of the year 2000 found that seven out of 10 respondents in the country were in favor of South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons.

“We have built up a quite adequate level of our deterrence capabilities in close cooperation with the United States,” he said, adding that the government had “put a lot of emphasis” on strengthening its deterrence since President Yoon Suk Yeol took power last year.

Han voiced his opposition to such a plan, but he also emphasized South Korea’s readiness to confront its neighbor under certain conditions.

He said that though China will contribute a lot to solving global issues, the country often doesn’t meet expectations of other countries.

He said that peace in the Taiwan Strait is important for the security and peace of the Korean Peninsula. And though South Korea is “committed” to the one-China policy, he said, “at the same time, we (expect) China to be more rule-based, not behaving as a country … being condemned by international community.”

China’s military buildup, aggressive foreign policy and multiple disputed territorial claims haven’t gone unnoticed in Seoul – where attitudes toward Beijing are fast souring.

The Treasury has imposed sanctions on two entities for being agencies, instrumentalities, or controlled entities of the Government of North Korea.

One of the reasons that the Government of North Korea uses trading companies like Chilsong to earn foreign currency, collect intelligence, and provide cover status for intelligence operatives is due to the fact that they have generated funds in the past for the government.

The work that we do together, the alliance we share and our commitment to the defense of our partners and allies are all strengthened by these actions by North Korea.

He said that the European Union had previously designated the following people for engaging in sanctions evasion and being responsible for supporting their country’s missile programs.

In remarks at the Munich Security Conference the day of that missile test, Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin all condemned the launch.