North Korea Fires Cruise Missiles As Allies Stage Drills

SEOUL, South Korea Three days after carrying out what it described as a mock nuclear strike on South Korea to protest its joint military exercises with the United States, North Korea launched cruise missiles toward the sea on Wednesday, according to the South Korean military.

As a response to the constant military drills between South Korea and the US, which North Korea sees as a practice invasion, it has stepped up its efforts to test weapons. Analysts say that Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, plans to build up his army to get more concessions from the rest of the world and to show that he is a strong leader despite the country’s economic problems.

On Thursday, the 11-day South Korea-US drills are scheduled to close. The United States plans to send an aircraft carrier for another round of joint maneuvers with South Korea in the upcoming days. Thus North Korea is expected to resume its nuclear testing.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea, the eastern coastal town of Hamhung in the North was the source of “several” cruise missile launches. It stated that South Korean and American intelligence agencies were analyzing further information and that the missiles had been fired into the waters off the east coast of the North.

The launches are the fourth since the U.S. and South Korean forces started large-scale military rehearsals early last week, which involve field exercises and computer simulations. They are the North’s sixth round of missile testing this month. The amount of field training is the most significant since 2018.

The U.S. and South Korean forces started large-scale military rehearsals.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the South Korean military will maintain a high level of preparedness and successfully finish the remaining exercises with the United States.

Numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions forbid testing ballistic missile systems, which North Korea has a sizable stockpile of. North Korea has been subject to eleven rounds of U.N. sanctions since 2006 due to the country’s earlier nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

The U.N. council does not forbid North Korea from testing cruise missiles. However, because they are made to fly at a lower height to prevent radar detection, analysts contend that they still pose a severe threat to their neighbors. According to experts, the primary objective of North Korean cruise missiles in the event of a conflict is to hit American aircraft carriers or other sizable enemy ships.

Some of North Korea’s cruise and ballistic missiles have been referred to be “strategic” weapons, implying that it intends to equip them with nuclear warheads. Experts from other countries disagree on whether the North has progressed in acquiring operational nuclear weapons.

North Korea’s state media later confirmed the launches on Wednesday. However, it also contained a statement from senior Foreign Ministry official Jo Chol Su objecting to what it described as recent American diplomatic efforts at the U.N. Security Council to press for the disarmament of the North.

Cho stated that any attempt from the outside to make North Korea give up its nuclear weapons would be seen as “a declaration of war.” By its escalating nuclear strategy, he claimed North Korea would respond to such an endeavor harshly.

North Korea tested two cruise missiles from a submarine on March 12.

North Korea has increased its provocative run in military demonstrations in 2023, launching over 20 missiles in 10 different events, following more than 70 missile tests last year, the most for a year. This year saw the testing of intercontinental and short-range nuclear-capable ballistic missiles able to hit the continental United States.

North Korea tested two cruise missiles from a submarine on March 12, the day before the South Korea-US drills started. North Korea tested four long-range cruise missiles last month, claiming they could strike targets 1,240 miles and 2,000 km away.

Kim oversaw the test launch of a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday from what appeared to be an underground silo. According to state media, a mock nuclear attack on unidentified South Korean locations was intended to issue a “stronger warning” to the U.S. and South Korea regarding their drills.

According to the North’s media, the missile’s simulated nuclear warhead exploded 800 meters (2,600 feet) above the water, which some experts believe was done to maximize damage.

North Korea probably intended to threaten South Korea and the United States.

North Korea had previously claimed to have carried out simulated nuclear attacks on its competitors, but this was the first time it had publicly disclosed such an altitude for nuclear weapon detonation.

By revealing such information, North Korea probably intended to threaten South Korea and the United States. Kim informed state media that the Hwasong-17 ICBM, the nation’s longest-range missile, was launched to “strike fear into the enemies” following a test last week.

Kim’s nuclear arsenal is developing, so the North is frequently testing. Last year, North Korea passed legislation allowing nuclear weapons to be used as a first resort.

Joint military drills between South Korea and the U.S. have increased in response.

An “unprecedented”-sized live-fire drill between South Korea and the U.S. is scheduled to take place in June, according to a statement from Seoul’s Defense Ministry earlier on Wednesday.

South Korean and American forces conducted live-fire training on Wednesday at a location close to the land border with North Korea as part of ongoing joint exercises. The 2nd Infantry Division’s deputy commanding officer, Col. Brandon Anderson, emphasized that the drills were defensive.

We’re going to keep doing it, he declared. We anticipate doing it well in a conflict situation.

SOURCE – (AP)