Japan (Washington Insider Magazine) -South Korean military officials report suspicions that North Korea fired a submarine-launched isle into waters off the coast of Japan. In the past weeks, North Korea has administered many missile tests, some of which violate international sanctions and standards.
The missile launched into Japanese waters this week was announced by North Korean officials in January. The missile program is part of ongoing efforts from the government to signal strength to the country’s citizens as well as chief rivals in the region including the United States, South Korea, and Japan.
Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea has committed to building an “invincible army”. Despite economic sanctions, the Kim regime continues to build its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenal. Kim claims that the submarine-launched missile is “the most powerful” weapon in the world, all while the military tests other weapons such as a train-based hypersonic missile.
The actual capabilities of the submarine-based weapon remain unclear, but the test solidifies the trend of North Korea’s swiftly expanding military technology. It is expected that North Korea already has missile-technology capable of reaching the United States. Additionally, North Korea is among the 9 countries known to have nuclear weapons – an exclusive list that includes the United States, Russia, and China.
The most recent weapons test is significant as the North Korean military continues to refine its submarine-launched missiles which have significant range and are harder to detect. South Korea recently unveiled the development of a similar weapon in recent weeks. The two countries remain in a state of war though significant conflict has not occurred since an armistice was reached in July of 1953.
South Korea will be hosting its largest ever military exhibition this week, which will include the demonstration of new missiles, rockets, and fighter jets. As an arms race on the continues on the Korean peninsula, Kim Jong-un claims that the country has no interest in war and is only developing weapons for self-defense.
The White House has responded to the missile launch condemning the violation of the UN Security Council resolutions. Press Secretary Jen Psaki reiterated that the Biden administration’s position on North Korea is one of denuclearization in the region.
According to the White House press conference, North Korea has not responded to US efforts to engage in diplomatic talks. In comparison, the prior administration under Donald Trump engaged with the North Korean regime, which included a North Korea-United States summit in Singapore in 2018. Despite the summit, the Trump administration failed to make any meaningful progress on denuclearization.
South Korea and its allies will continue to investigate this incident looking to confirm if the there were more than one missile fired, and if the missile was in fact fired from a submarine. Either way, the missile test was one of the first since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, signaling North Korea may be shifting focus from the health crisis to projecting strength abroad.