North Korea Publishes First Evidence of Nuclear Capabilities

Facts

• For the first time, North Korea has provided alleged evidence of nuclear capabilities, publishing photos of small nuclear warheads which can be fitted onto short-range missiles. North Korea has claimed it has nuclear weapons, capable of hitting targets in South Korea.¹
• The unveiling of the warheads, called Hwasan-31s, shows potential progress by the North in creating warheads that are strong — yet small enough — to place on intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching American shores.²
• North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern waters on Monday. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the two missiles were fired from an area south of Pyongyang at around 8:00 a.m. [local time] and traveled about 229 miles before landing at sea.³
• North Korean state media KCNA said the country is looking to produce more weapons-grade nuclear material and expand its arsenal. The release comes as a US aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea for military drills.⁴
• The missile test was the seventh this month and underscored growing tensions in the region. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has condemned the US-South Korea joint military drills as invasion rehearsal while the allies characterize the exercises as defensive.⁵
• Seoul and Tokyo had both tracked Pyongyang's 10th launch event of the year — its 20th and 21st missiles in 2023 — the previous morning. State media called the event a “simulated nuclear attack,” as North Korea says America was preparing to invade the North with its “war frenzy.”⁶

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²FOX News, ³NBC, ⁴Reuters, ⁵Associated Press and ⁶Newsweek.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The diplomat. The US and South Korea are working together to combat the rising threat North Korea poses. The two allies are joining for the largest military exercises in five years because the stakes are that high. Kim Jong Un is on the precipice of starting a nuclear war and his threats cannot be merely dismissed. The US military must defend its allies and the rules-based international order and prevent a nuclear attack at all costs.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Kcna watch. The US and its puppet South Korea are ramping up aggressions against North Korea and are instigating war. The US is coming to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea’s doorstop to launch unprecedented military exercises as it looks to potentially invade the North. These preemptive actions cannot be overlooked, and US confrontations must be addressed.