Kim Jong Un wants to show that he will not let Washington and Seoul through with the only language he knows. This morning he has ordered the launch of two projectiles that have landed in Pacific waters, in a show of force that he could quickly escalate.
On Monday, between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. local time, the South Korean military detected two missile launches from a coastal city north of Pyongyang. North Korea was quick to claim responsibility for the attack, saying it had "fired 600mm multiple rocket launchers twice, in its second weapons tests in three days.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense has assured that the missiles flew less than 400 kilometers at an altitude of 100 kilometers the first and kilometers the second, and has reported that the projectiles have fallen into the sea, outside its exclusive economic zone without registering damage.
The military tests on Monday follow the escalation that began on Saturday, when Pyongyang fired an intercontinental ballistic missile - its first since January 1 - as a warning to the United States and South Korea. In response, the two announced new joint military exercises for next week and a US bomber flew over the Korean peninsula on Sunday, seen by North Korea as preparation for an eventual invasion.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, declared on Sunday that whether the Pacific becomes a "firing range" would depend on "action by US forces" and threatened "unprecedented" retaliation if the United States The United States and South Korea continued with the planned military exercises.
The attack, which has been internationally condemned, has prompted Japan to request an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council because it considers it a "threat to peace and security." In this regard, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, has stated that North Korea is likely to continue provocations and launch more missiles and continue with nuclear tests.
Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are at their worst in years. In 2022, the North called its nuclear power status "irreversible" and Kim Jong Un mandated a growth in weapons production, including tactical nuclear weapons. Over the past year, North Korea has launched more than 70 missiles, the most in history.
