North Korea Fires Missiles After Kim Pledges to Boost Nuclear Arsenal
According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and Japan's Defense Ministry, North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters at around 7:10 a.m. on Thursday....
Facts
- According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and Japan's Defense Ministry, North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters at around 7:10 a.m. on Thursday.[1]
- This comes as the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, said in a speech marking the 76th founding anniversary of the country on Monday, that the number of nuclear weapons will be exponentially increased.[2][3]
- North Korea is estimated to possess 50 nuclear warheads, as of January 2024, and to possess the fissile material for up to 90 nuclear weapons. Pyongyang has carried out six known nuclear tests — the latest in 2017.[4][5]
- The North claimed in July to have tested its new ballistic missile, the Hwasongpho-11Da-4.5, after the signing of a new US-SKorea defense guideline against nuclear threats from Pyongyang, which has ramped up weapons testing since 2022.[6][7]
- The unicameral Supreme People's Assembly adopted a constitutional amendment last year to enshrine its policy on nuclear weapons as a core principle.[8]
- Meanwhile, commercial satellite imagery suggests that the portal area of the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, where low-level activity was reported in April, had flood-related damages, and at least seven bridges were washed out after heavy summer rains.[9][10]
Sources: [1]NK News, [2]KCNA Watch, [3]Reuters, [4]Al Jazeera, [5]Arms Control Association, [6]Associated Press, [7]RT, [8]FOX News, [9]38North and [10]Beyond Parallel.
Narratives
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by AntiWar. Though Kim may seem like an irrational actor, he's simply using the only leverage he has in dealing with South Korea and the US. His nuclear ambitions are designed to seek political gains and sanctions relief after successive American administrations have derailed diplomatic routes to denuclearization.
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Hudson. As much as North Korea wishes to flex its military potential and engage in bombastic rhetoric, it would be best for Pyongyang not to push this too far. The North is well known to suffer extreme economic hardship, and it's near-impossible for them to keep masking vulnerabilities with dangerous propaganda and military activity.
