North Korea Launches Missile Over Japan

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Facts

  • On Tuesday, North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile over Japan, prompting the prime minister's office to warn residents in the country's northeastern regions to take cover – the first such alert in five years. The launch represents an unprecedented number of North Korean missile tests this year.
  • North Korea’s fifth missile test in 10 days occurred during a US-led military exercise in the region. The exercise featured forces from South Korea and Japan and involved the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
  • While Japanese officials called the launch "outrageous,” South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned of a "resolute" response. The US Dept. of State said the launch was "reckless and dangerous" and “posed an unacceptable threat to the Japanese public."
  • According to South Korean officials, the missile launch took place from North Korea's northern Jagang province, aimed eastward. The missile reached an altitude of 603 miles (970 kilometers), a top speed of Mach 17, and a flight path of about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers).
  • Some analysts fear the gradual build-up of tensions in the region increases the possibility for North Korea to restart nuclear testing. South Korean intelligence told lawmakers that North Korea could conduct a nuclear test between China's Communist Party Congress this month and the US mid-term elections in November.

Sources: FOX News, Washington Post, Guardian, NPR Online News, and Reuters.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by RedState. You can’t blame Kim Jong-un for flexing North Korea’s military muscle when Biden is recklessly saber-rattling with Taiwan and China. How does Kim know the US won't also team up with South Korea for an invasion of the North? Trump's relationship with and policies towards North Korea meant a more stable Korean Peninsula.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC. Kim Jong-un's geopolitical actions have been erratic, and his missile launches are destabilizing the Peninsula. Instead of provoking a confrontation, the North Korean should take the Biden administration up on its offer to meet without preconditions and settle any of his grievances peacefully. Biden is showing strength and prudence in the region.