North Korea confirms "surprise" firing of an intercontinental missile
Pyongyang admitted, on Sunday, that he had fired an intercontinental ballistic missile the day before, claiming that this "surprise" exercise, carried out as a warning sign in Seoul and Washington, showed his abilities as "nuclear counterattack".
renewed tension between the two Koreas. Pyongyang confirmed, on Sunday February 19, that he fired an intercontinental ballistic missile ( ICBM ) the day before, claiming that the "surprise" exercise demonstrated its capabilities as a "lethal nuclear counterattack".
In response, the South Korean military said it had organized joint air maneuvers with the United States, mobilizing stealth planes and at least one long-range B-1B American bomber.
"The exercise has ( allowed for ) to show the timely and immediate deployment of the American means of deterrence extended in the Korean peninsula", testifying to the "crushing force" of the allies, said the South Korean Ministry of Defense in a statement.
Japan also conducted a joint military exercise with the United States on Sunday, announced the Japanese Department of Defense.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered 8 local hours ( 23 h GMT on Friday ) on Saturday to carry out a surprise "launch exercise. A Hwasong-15 missile was then fired from Pyongyang Airport in the afternoon, according to the state agency KCNA. The first test of a Hwasong-15 was conducted by Pyongyang in 2017.
Seoul claimed to have detected the launch of an ICBM on Saturday at 5:22 p.m. local ( 08:22 GMT ) which, according to Tokyo, flew for 66 minutes before falling into its Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ ) and which, according to its observations, would be able to strike the American continent.
Pyongyang welcomed the trial - the first in the country in seven weeks - which he said demonstrates "the effective combat capacity ( of ICBM units, able to ( perform ) a mobile and powerful counterattack, "said KCNA.
This launch is "obvious proof" of the reliability of Pyongyang's "powerful physical nuclear deterrent", added the agency.
He intervened when Seoul and Washington are preparing to conduct a simulation exercise, to be held next week in the American capital, to discuss the measures to be taken in the event of the use of nuclear weapons by Pyongyang.
North Korea threatened on Friday to react with "unprecedented" force to the upcoming South Korean maneuvers, seeing there the preparations for an armed conflict and the cause of a deterioration in the security situation on the Korean peninsula.
Lowest relationships
According to Ankit Panda, a security expert based in the United States, Saturday's shooting is of considerable importance because it "was ordered the same day, so it is not a 'traditional trial, but exercise".
"We can expect to see additional exercises of this type," he said to the AFP.
Park Won-gon, professor at Ewha University, says it is the first time that Pyongyang has provided a detailed account from the firing order until launch.
"The clear indication of Kim Jong-un's order is significant," he said. This essay "shows that these weapons are all deployed for real combat and ready to launch at any time."
Soo Kim, a former CIA analyst, believes that the nine hours between the order of the leader and the shooting are "a long time". According to her, Pyongyang could be faced with "greater challenges" if it launched under "realistic" conditions".
Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are already in their lowest level for years. In 2022, the North described its nuclear power status as "irreversible" and Kim Jong-un called for "exponential" growth in the production of armaments, including tactical nuclear weapons.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, in response, sought to strengthen cooperation with the United States, his key security ally, engaging to multiply joint military exercises and to improve Washington's expanded supply of deterrence, including through nuclear means.
On Sunday, Pyongyang spokesman and sister of its leader, Kim Yo-jong, said that it is these measures taken by Seoul and Washington "that endanger every moment" the peninsula and deteriorate its "stability", according to KCNA.
"I warn that we will monitor every movement of the enemy and engage in the corresponding, very powerful and overwhelming countermeasure against all these hostile movements towards us," she added.
External crises to overcome internal difficulties
This shot and these Pyongyang statements seem to herald "the start of high intensity provocations on the part of North Korea", estimates for AFP Park Won-gon, professor at Ewha University.
"What is different from 2022 is that last year their justification was that the launches were part of their five-year military plan," he said, adding: "Now, they clearly indicate that they will ( face ) in the United States and South Korea."
According to Park Won-gon, the increased aggressiveness of Pyongyang could indicate a worsening of its conjuncture on the national level. South Korean officials have recently reported that the country may face severe food shortages after several years of pandemic isolation.
"La Corée du Nord adopte toujours une approche intransigeante et crée des crises externes (...) pour surmonter ses difficultés internes. Unir la population en insistant sur la menace américano-sud-coréenne est une attitude nord-coréenne classique."
Comments
Post a Comment