- North Korea conducts third cruise missile test
- South Korea detects launches
- Tensions rise; Kim modernises military
In less than a week, North Korea conducted its third cruise missile test by launching the mortar into the waters off the coast of West Korea.
The South Korean military “detected several unidentified cruise missiles launched by North Korea into the West Sea around 07:00 [22:00 GMT],” according to a statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
It was further stated that South Korea and the United States intelligence agencies were analyzing the data.
Under longstanding United Nations sanctions imposed on its nuclear program, North Korea is not prohibited from conducting cruise missile tests. In fact, the country has already completed two such tests in the past week.
A few days after South Korea detected multiple cruise missiles being launched from the country’s western coast, state media reported on Monday that leader Kim Jong Un “guided” the launch of undersea strategic cruise missiles, specifically the Pulhwasal-3-31, over the weekend.
Amid escalating tensions on the peninsula and Kim’s efforts to modernize the country’s military, Pyongyang has continued its weapons testing. The country is also developing more sophisticated weapons.
Since January, it has fired a solid-fuel hypersonic ballistic missile and a nuclear-capable underwater assault drone.
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In the interim, the United States, Japan, and South Korea have intensified their joint military drills. Which Kim characterizes as invasion drills, and refined their deterrence strategies centred on US assets possessing nuclear capabilities.
Kim has also identified South Korea as Korea’s “principal enemy” and has shut down reunification and outreach agencies in recent weeks.
