- North Korea’s Military Display: Kim Jong Un showcased 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers at a large ceremony, signaling a heightened threat.
- Regional Tensions: Kim intends to deploy short-range missiles along the North-South Korea border, potentially targeting the South Korean capital area.
- Justification & Alliances: Kim framed the military expansion as a defense against U.S. actions, while also strengthening ties with Putin, despite recent domestic disasters.
As the US and South Korea have had their focus drawn towards Ukraine, Kim Jon Un is making menacing atomic strides. Last week North Korea held a ceremony attended by thousands of spectators and sprinkled with fireworks. The real icing on the cake came in a display of 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers and a speech from the leader himself.
Unease between the nations has grown as Kim showed his intent to deploy these short range weapons along the border between North and South Korea. In recent news North Korea revealed and claimed testing on a new missile called the Hwasong-11, able to travel about 100 km or 62 miles. If these two powers were to be deployed on the front lines, it would be able to cover the majority of the South Korean capital area with a population of around 25 million.
Many questioned the decision of holding this ceremony as just last week North Korea was faced with disastrous flooding leading to the destruction of thousands of homes and an estimated 1500 citizens dead or missing. Kim Jon Un stated that having the ceremony showed the country’s drive to “push ahead with the bolstering of defense capabilities … without stop in any circumstances.”
In his speech Kim justified his military expansion as a response to the United States progressions and relationships with our allies, especially those in the immediate area. He reminded the citizens to be prepared for their unwavering and uninterrupted efforts to strengthen their own front. It’s important to note while we build our relations, Kim and Putin have been working on theirs as well, showing a united front not just in military action but also things such as disaster relief for the floods.
As we have our hands full and attention drawn to the upcoming election and current Ukraine state, Kim has shown us to keep our eyes at full attention to everything around us as well. As he takes the United States’s recent and upcoming actions as a threat, we are not taking theirs lightly either as he pushes to end US sanctions against North Korea.
