SEOUL (Washington Insider Magazine) – According to state run media KCNA on Thursday, North Korea stated it will beef up its defense against the US and consider resuming all temporarily halted activity.
The declaration could be a nod to the country’s self-imposed ban on nuclear weapons testing, which has remained in effect since 2017.
Despite the fact that Pyongyang is prohibited from testing long range missiles and nuclear warheads under international law, it has still proceeded to develop the weapons anyhow.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has urged officials to strengthen means to “effectively control the aggressive actions of the US” and rethink trust-building efforts with the US, according to a report about a Politburo meeting conducted on Wednesday.
According to Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Kim Jun-rak, the South Korean army is constantly monitoring North Korea’s operations following Thursday’s news.
It follows as North Korea has increased the number of missile tests it has conducted in January. According to CNN, the US issued penalties against five North Korean people and one entity last week for helping the government’s ballistic missile programs.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea carried its fourth missile test this year on Monday, sending two missiles into the water off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast. North Korea announced it was testing short-range ballistic missiles known as tactical guided missiles.
Pyongyang maintains to push its missile program, having conducted two tests last week another a week before. According to KCNA, North Korea alleges to have effectively tested hypersonic missiles on Jan 5 and 11.
For more than a year, diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea have been stalled. The Biden government has attempted to contact North Korea on a few occasions, but has received no answer.
The regime has previously requested that the US end its “hostility” toward North Korea in order to resume talks, but North Korea appears to have a distinct approach for this year.
Duyeon Kim, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said she is not surprised by North Korea’s recent move.
