North Korea Tests Cruise Missile System, Vows “Toughest” Response to U.S.-South Korean Drills
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Sunday it tested a cruise missile system, its third known weapons display this year, and vowed “the toughest” response to what it called the escalation of U.S.-South Korean military drills that target the North. The moves suggested North Korea will likely maintain its run of weapons tests and its confrontational stance against the U.S. for now, even though President Donald Trump said he intends to reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The official Korean Central News Agency said Kim observed the test of sea-to-surface strategic cruise guided weapons on Saturday. The term “strategic” implies the missiles are nuclear-capable. KCNA said the missiles hit their targets after traveling 1,500-kilometer (932-mile) -long elliptical and figure-eight-shaped flight patterns, but that couldn’t be independently verified. KCNA cited Kim as saying that North Korea’s war deterrence capabilities “are being perfected more thoroughly” and affirming that his country will make “strenuous efforts” to defend stability “on the basis of more powerfully developed military muscle.” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea had launched “several” cruise missiles toward its western waters from an inland area at around 4 p.m. on Saturday. It said South Korean maintains a readiness to “overwhelmingly” repel any provocations by North Korea in conjunction with its military alliance with the U.S. In a separate statement carried by KCNA on Sunday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry criticized the U.S. for committing “serious military provocations aiming at” North Korea with a series of military exercises with South Korea this month. “The reality stresses that the DPRK should counter the U.S. with the toughest counteraction from A to Z as long as it refuses the sovereignty and security interests of the DPRK and this is the best option for dealing with the U.S,” the Foreign Ministry statement said. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the abbreviation of its formal name. The Foreign Ministry warning was in line with Kim’s vows to implement the “toughest” anti-U.S. policy during a year-end political meeting. North Korea views U.S. military training with South Korea as invasion rehearsals though Washington and Seoul have repeatedly said their drills are defensive in nature. In recent years, the U.S. and South Korea have expanded their military exercises in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. The start of Trump’s second term raises prospects for the revival of diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea, as Trump met Kim three times during his first term. The Trump-Kim diplomacy in 2018-19 fell apart due to wrangling over U.S.-led economic sanctions on North Korea. During a Fox News interview broadcast Thursday, Trump called Kim “a smart
President Trump’s recent remarks declaring North Korea as a nuclear power have raised eyebrows and sparked discussions among global leaders. The implications of such a statement, made during a news conference at the Oval Office following his inauguration, have prompted concerns about the delicate balance of power in the region. This departure from the longstanding position of Washington, Seoul, and their allies further complicates the already intricate relationship with North Korea, a nation known for its pursuit of nuclear weapons in defiance of international norms and U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Trump’s personal rapport with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been a subject of scrutiny and speculation since their first historic summit in 2018. The surprising announcement by Trump to suspend joint military drills with South Korea in the wake of that summit left many allies in the region perplexed and uncertain about the future of security cooperation. The abrupt shift in U.S. military posture, characterized by Trump as a cost-saving measure and a gesture of goodwill towards Pyongyang, has been met with mixed reactions and skepticism.
The lack of response from North Korea to Trump’s latest overture, coupled with the recent cruise missile tests conducted by the regime, underscores the complex and unpredictable nature of diplomacy in the Korean peninsula. As tensions simmer and diplomatic channels remain open yet fragile, the international community watches closely to decipher the next moves in this high-stakes geopolitical chess game. Trump’s unconventional approach to North Korea has injected a new dynamic into the longstanding standoff, raising hopes for progress while also fueling concerns about the potential risks and pitfalls ahead.
