Uncertainty returns to the Korean peninsula. This Thursday, North Korea fired two projectiles from its eastern coast into the sea. According to the first estimates, it would be two short-range ballistic missiles, which is the first test with this type of weapon since Joe Biden arrived at the White House.
The tests took place between 7.06 and 7.25 in the morning (local time). According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, the shells came from South Hangyong province. After flying around 450 kilometers and reaching an altitude of 60 kilometers, they fell into the water without causing damage.
Military tests
It is the second North Korean weapons test in less than a week
Today’s is the second weapons test conducted by the North Korean regime in less than a week. Last Sunday, Pyongyang tested two cruise missiles, less powerful and slower than ballistic ones, off the west coast.
This exercise does not contravene the resolutions imposed by the UN Security Council against its arms program, and both Seoul and Washington downplayed it in an attempt to keep communication channels open.
This threatens peace and security
However, Pyongyang is prohibited from testing ballistic missiles, designed in principle to carry atomic warheads. “It has been a year since they last launched a (ballistic) missile,” said Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. “This threatens the peace and security of our country and the region. It is also a violation of UN resolutions, ”he added.
The North Korean arms program has been a thorny issue that recent US administrations have had to grapple with. Each of them approached the situation with different incentives and sanctions, but none succeeded in persuading the Kim regime to abandon its goal of attaining nuclear weapons and missiles to launch them.
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Joe Biden’s Administration is reviewing its strategy in the region
After the country launched its first intercontinental missile in 2017, former President Donald Trump opted for direct dialogue with Kim Jong Un to resolve the dispute. Despite holding three face-to-face meetings, denuclearization talks stalled after the failure of the 2019 Hanoi summit, and have made no progress since.
The Biden Administration is currently conducting a thorough review of its strategy for dealing with North Korea, and is set to announce its guidelines in the near future. Meanwhile, Washington has redoubled its efforts to strengthen ties with allies in the area, who did not fare very well after Trump’s passage through the White House.
Last week, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Tokyo and Seoul to stage that rapprochement, a trip in which he insisted that they all work to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea. For next week, the National Security advisers of Japan and South Korea are scheduled to travel to Washington to coordinate positions.
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For its part, Pyongynang has a long history of using weapons tests to provoke the adversary and further its objectives. To date, the regime has refused to enter into conversation with the Biden government, warning it last week not to adopt policies in the area that could make them “lose sleep for the next four years.”
For the well-known nuclear affairs expert Vipin Narang, today’s tests represent “a step forward” from the weekend’s exercise, and allow communist Korea to improve its technology while sending a message of strength to recent drills. military exercised by Seoul and Washington. North Korea warns the US not to create problems if it wants to “sleep peacefully.”
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