North Korea announced on Friday that it conducted tests of strategic cruise missiles to showcase its nuclear counter-attack capabilities. This development follows North Korea’s declaration to take actions in response to what it perceives as increasing hostilities led by the U.S. since the beginning of the Trump administration.
According to the state agency, Korean Central News Agency, the tests were conducted off North Korea’s west coast on Wednesday under the observation of leader Kim Jong Un. The event marked the fourth missile launch by North Korea within the year, and the second for the current U.S. presidential term.
These missile tests aimed to inform adversaries, whom North Korea accuses of significantly compromising its security and worsening the confrontation, about its military’s counterattack capabilities and nuclear preparedness. Kim expressed satisfaction with the outcomes and emphasized the importance of military readiness in deploying nuclear weapons.
Later on Friday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea affirmed that the North Korean launches were detected and monitored. The South Korean military assured that it remains poised to address any provocations from the North, bolstered by the strong South Korea-U.S. military partnership.
Since the inauguration on January 20, Trump has highlighted his diplomatic engagements with Kim during his initial term, expressing intentions to engage with Kim once more. However, North Korea has not shown a direct response to Trump’s propositions and continues its pattern of hostile rhetoric and weapons testing against the U.S.
Experts believe that Kim Jong Un, currently investing efforts in supporting Russia’s military actions in Ukraine with supplies and personnel, may not be inclined to reciprocate Trump’s advances in the near future. Analysts suggest that Kim might reconsider engagement if he perceives uncertainties in the robustness of North Korea’s ties with Russia post-conflict.
Recently, North Korea’s Defense Ministry accused the U.S. and its allies of escalating military provocations against North Korea following Trump’s ascension to power. They referenced, among other activities, a recent U.S.-South Korean air exercise involving a U.S. B-1B bomber. A Defense Ministry statement mentioned that North Korea intends to counteract U.S. strategic threats with its own strategic responses.
Kim and Trump held three summits between 2018 and 2019 to discuss North Korea’s nuclear agenda, but these dialogues faltered over the impasse concerning U.S.-imposed sanctions against the North. Since then, Kim has markedly intensified weapons testing to augment and modernize his nuclear arsenal. With an expanded arsenal, experts contend that Kim might believe it possible to extract greater concessions from the U.S. if discussions with Trump resume.
