North Korea confirmed on Monday that it had launched a Hwasong-12 ballistic missile, the same weapon with which it threatened to hit the US territory of Guam, raising fears that the nuclear-armed country could resume tests. with long-range missiles.
The launch of the intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) was first reported by South Korean and Japanese authorities. It was the seventh test carried out by North Korea this month and the first time a nuclear-capable missile of this size has been launched since 2017.
The United States is concerned that North Korea’s escalating missile tests could be a precursor to resuming testing of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and has pledged an unspecified response “meant to show our commitment to our allies,” it said. a senior US official told reporters in Washington.
“It’s not just what they did yesterday, it’s the fact that this is taking place after a very significant number of tests this month,” the source declared, urging Pyongyang to participate in direct negotiations without preconditions.
North Korea has said it is open to diplomacy but that Washington’s proposals are undermined by its support for joint military exercises and sanctions and weapons buildup in South Korea and the region.
Amid a wave of diplomacy in 2018, including meetings with then-U.S. President Donald Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared his full nuclear force and said he would suspend nuclear tests and launches of the largest missiles. country’s reach.
Kim said he was no longer bound by that moratorium after talks stalled in 2019, and North Korea suggested this month that it might restart such testing activities because the United States has shown no signs of abandoning its “hostile policies”.
It’s unclear whether IRBMs like the Hwasong-12 were included in Kim’s moratorium, but none have been tested since 2017.
Analysts specializing in North Korea said the tests appeared to be aimed at securing global acceptance of its weapons programs, whether through concessions or simply winning the weary acquiescence of a distracted world.
“The world’s distraction from other issues really seems to be working to North Korea’s benefit right now,” said Markus Garlauskas, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank and former US national intelligence official for North Korea.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the recent flurry of North Korean missile tests is reminiscent of heightened tensions in 2017, when North Korea carried out several nuclear tests, launched its biggest missiles and drew threats from ” fire and fury” of the United States.
Source: CNN Brasil
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