N. Korea Fires Missiles After US Submarines Arrive in South

Facts

• South Korea and Japan have said that North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Monday following the arrival of nuclear-powered US submarines in South Korea.¹
• The missile launches came as South Korea and the US have expanded their military readiness against North Korea's weapons program, with the US deploying two nuclear submarines in South Korea — the USS Kentucky and USS Annapolis, each arriving days apart.²
• Last week, the US Indo-Pacific Command deployed the USS Kentucky to South Korea, the first time a nuclear-armed submarine has been deployed in South Korea since the 1980s. This saw North Korea conduct missile tests and deploy submarines it says are capable of making nuclear strikes against South Korea and deployed US vessels.³
• The two ballistic missiles were reportedly launched from an area near Pyongyang before midnight, the third North Korean missile launch since last week. The missiles traveled around 248 miles before landing in waters just outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the Japanese Defense Ministry said.⁴
• South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said its forces were working with their US counterparts to monitor North Korean military activities more closely.⁵

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Reuters, ³CBS, ⁴Associated Press, and ⁵Guardian.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Diplomat. The deployment of a nuclear submarine in the Korean theater is part of the "Washington Declaration," which aims to deter the North from attacking its neighbors. Over the last several months, there's been increased anxiety over Pyongyang's ballistic missile tests, and, as a result, the US and South Korea have taken measures to deter further acts of aggression. The US and South Korea must do whatever they can to ensure regional stability.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by NPR Online News. There's widespread criticism of the US deployment of a nuclear submarine in South Korea. The deployment threatens to make the region more dangerous, as it provides a means for the US to retaliate against the North if it launches a nuclear attack on the South. It would do no good for either country to strike back against the other as this would only result in an escalation. The deployments are a senseless provocation.

Predictions