North Korea Tests Another Missile and Flies Warplanes Near Border with South

Facts

• On Thurs., North Korean state media said that the People's Army had successfully test-fired two long-range strategic cruise missiles on Wed., supposedly confirming the reliability and operation of nuclear-capable weapons with a longer range.¹
• The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claimed that the cruise missiles flew oval and figure-8 pattern for roughly three hours over the Yellow Sea before hitting their intended targets 1,240 miles (2,000 km) away.²
• Kim Jong-un reportedly supervised the tests and stressed it was another warning to its 'enemies' that the North will continue to expand its nuclear deterrence and its readiness to take the initiative in any crucial military crisis and war crisis.³
• Following Pyongyang's 26th weapons launch so far this year –the sixth this month–, the North's warplanes flew close to the border to S.Korea, prompting Seoul to deploy its own warplanes in response. On Friday morning, the North reacted by firing a short-range ballistic missile⁴
• As denuclearization talks have long been stalled, Kim Jong-un has doubled down on developing the country's nuclear arsenal, revising laws to allow preemptive strikes and declaring the country an 'irreversible' nuclear power.⁵
• Though N.Korea's cruise missiles, air force, and tactical nuclear devices are believed to be much less capable than its propaganda suggests, analysts warn that weapons testing barrage must not be seen as mere saber-rattling.⁶

Sources: ¹The Japan Times, ²CNN, ³Reuters, ⁴New York Times, ⁵CBS and ⁶Al Jazeera.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Red State. 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 maintained stability in the 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 leader 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.

Predictions