NKorea Holds Missile Test as US-SKorea Military Drills Begin

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Facts

  • North Korea's state-run media reported Monday that its leader Kim Jong Un had overseen a cruise missile test on the eve of annual military drills between South Korea and the US.1
  • The North's official media further stated that Kim oversaw the missile test aboard a warship on the east coast of North Korea. The launch was intended to "verify the combat function of the ship and the feature of its missile system" in preparation for an attack mission in warlike circumstances.2
  • North Korea fired several "strategic" missiles, without specifying what kind. However, images released with the document indicate that they may have been Hwasal-2 cruise missiles with the capacity to deliver nuclear warheads.3
  • In response to a North Korean report about the situation on the peninsula, South Korea said the North's statement contained "exaggerated" claims and "many discrepancies from the truth." The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it had been monitoring the activity, which it reportedly detected in advance.4
  • It was widely anticipated that North Korea would resume weapons testing in reaction to the US-South Korean military exercise. Cruise missiles fly at a lower altitude than ballistic missiles to avoid detection and could potentially attack US naval vessels during a conflict.5
  • South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Monday that the military drills with the US mimic scenarios including cyber and drone strikes from North Korea. Seoul is also reportedly preparing for a disinformation campaign from Pyongyang.1

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Reuters, 3The Japan Times, 4France 24, and 5VOA.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by VOA. South Korea maintains a substantial capacity to overwhelm any North Korean provocation. Yet, this latest naval missile test suggests that Pyongyang can threaten the South from multiple points of origin if it thinks an existential threat is looming. The US and South Korea will remain steadfast to the North Korean threat and work tirelessly to preserve peace in the peninsula.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Reuters. North Korea, like any other nation, has a right to conduct military tests. It's the United States, not North Korea, that's escalating tensions in the region, as these hegemonic actors try to isolate Pyongyang from the world and pressure other nations to follow their lead. A massive and ever-expanding military exercise on the doorstep of North Korea is proof enough of the disrespect the country faces from the West.

Predictions