This Monday North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile with a range that could reach the United States, according to authorities in South Korea and Japan. This is the second launch in a few hours carried out by Pyongyang, in response to the "provocations" and "war" movements led by the United States, thus referring to the arrival this Sunday of a US nuclear submarine in a South Korean city.
This Monday's missile was fired from an area near the capital, Pyongyang, and would have traveled 1,000 km in a 73-minute flight, before falling into the sea west of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, according to official sources. South Korean and Japanese. The rocket has a travel potential of more than 15,000 km, which means it can reach any point in Japan and the continental United States, reported Japanese Deputy Defense Minister Shingo Miyake.
North Korea's latest intercontinental ballistic missiles were launched from a field near Pyongyang's international airport where it is suspected there may be a missile assembly facility.
Following the launch of a first short-range missile on Sunday night, North Korea issued a statement condemning the United States for orchestrating what it called a "foreshadowing of a nuclear war," including the arrival of the submarine-powered US nuclear reactor Missouri to the South Korean city of Busan.
These launches come amid talks between the United States and South Korea that seek to deepen their cooperation to deter Kim Jong Un from using atomic weapons. This alliance has led to increased shipments of US military assets to South Korea and joint exercises between the two countries.
North Korea takes a dim view of the rapprochement between the United States and China. The spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense said that the meeting of the so-called "Nuclear Consultative Group" was "an open statement on nuclear confrontation to make the use of nuclear weapons against North Korea a fait accompli in case of emergency," reported the North Korean state agency. This same spokesperson would also have assured that North Korea is prepared to launch "a preventive and deadly counter-action."
North Korean ballistic missile launches, five so far this year, have led the White House to strengthen cooperation with South Korea and Japan. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan condemned the launch as a violation of United Nations National Security Council resolutions and spoke with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts after the launch to reaffirm the "Washington's unwavering commitment to the defense" of its allies.
Allies have been working to establish a real-time missile data sharing system, but it is still "a few days away" from becoming operational, according to South Korea's Defense Ministry.
Meanwhile, North Korea is also strengthening its relations with China, with whom it met precisely this Monday in Beijing. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China supported all resolutions imposing sanctions on the North for its weapons development until 2017. But it has since refused to back further sanctions, saying they would only increase tensions.
The ballistic missile tests allow the North Korean president to show his senior management and the people that the country's nuclear arsenal is advancing by leaps and bounds to be able to attack the United States, reinforcing the propaganda message that its expansion is essential to prevent a US invasion.
