As reported by state media on Monday, the annual major drills between the South Korean and U.S. Militaries, known as the North Korean invasion rehearsal, were kicked off. During the drills, Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, observed the test-firing of strategic cruise missiles.
After three days, the leaders of the U.S., Japan, and South Korea held their first trilateral summit, where they agreed to enhance their cooperation on ballistic missile defenses in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. The report on North Korea’s missile tests came shortly after the summit.
As per the Korean Central News Agency, Kim later observed the ship’s sailors perform a drill of deploying “tactical” cruise missiles, a term suggesting that the weapons were designed to transport nuclear warheads. While inspecting a naval fleet on an undisclosed day, Kim boarded a patrol vessel to assess its armaments and readiness for battle.
Showing the ship’s preparedness and offensive potential, KCNA stated that the missiles successfully struck assigned objectives with utmost accuracy. A photograph released by state media depicted him observing a missile in flight from a different location, rather than being on the actual ship.
According to KCNA, Kim urged the sailors of the nation to construct “dominant ideological and spiritual power,” emphasizing that this holds greater significance than the numerical or technical advantage of weapons. He expressed his commitment to enhancing endeavors in constructing formidable warships and updating naval systems, both on ships and underwater, for the navy of North Korea.
The statement mentioned that the firm’s preparedness to decisively overcome potential North Korean provocations will uphold South Korea’s military. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that North Korea’s report on its cruise missile tests was “inaccurate” and “an overstatement”.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, expressed, “The most recent examination reveals Pyongyang’s desire to assail South Korea from various perspectives in the event that it perceives the Kim regime to be in jeopardy.” “Although North Korea’s naval cruise missile may seem less advanced in terms of technology, it still poses a significant danger.”
According to analysts, if there is a conflict, North Korea intends to utilize cruise missiles to target U.S. Warships and aircraft carriers. However, these missiles still present a danger as they fly at a lower altitude to evade radar detection. Unlike the launches from North Korea’s extensive collection of ballistic missiles, which are prohibited by U.N. Security Council resolutions, the tests of their cruise missiles are not banned.
The military exercise between the United States and South Korea, commencing on Monday and expected to continue for a duration of 11 days, is likely to stimulate North Korea into resuming its weapons trials.
Additionally, the armed forces of the United States and South Korea intend to carry out extensive field drills. The Ulchi Freedom Shield training is a computer-generated exercise that takes place in a command center.
In the past years, North Korea has strongly criticized major U.S.-South Korean drills as exercises to maintain defensive nature and officials in South Korea responded to them by conducting missile tests, with no intention of attacking the North and considering them as practice for an invasion.
Since the start of 2022, North Korea has performed over 100 weapons tests, expanding their regular exercises training with their allies South Korea, the United States, Japan, and the mainland United States, involving some nuclear-capable missiles designed for striking.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Kishida Fumio, the South Korean President, Yeol Suk Yoon, and the US President, Joe Biden, stated that they intend to end the year’s operation by sharing real-time missile warnings at their summit in Camp David. They also mentioned their intention to hold annual trilateral exercises during their time at Camp David and to put the operation of sharing real-time missile warnings into effect regarding North Korea.
The three leaders also declared the creation of a hotline to discuss strategies for addressing threats. Additionally, they announced the formation of a trilateral task force aimed at enhancing collaboration in countering North Korean cyber threats and preventing its cyber-driven circumvention of sanctions.
North Korea has said the three countries’ push to strengthen their security cooperation is compelling it to reinforce its own military capability.