Ever since the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the entire world has been glued to this particular matter, forgetting other important threats such as the North Korean missile tests. North Korea has tested a banned ICBM earlier today, triggering fear amongst nations in that region.
The missile launch was the first of its kind since 2017, and ever since the beginning of this year, the North Koreans have launched a total of 11 missiles. The ICBM had an elevation of more than 3,720 miles and traveled a distance of more than 670 miles, finally landing near Japan’s western coastline.
The missile test came just before NATO leaders gathered together for their emergency summit on the Ukrainian crisis. The United States, South Korea, and Japan all condemned the missile launch. Makoto Oniki, the Deputy Minister of Defense for Japan, said that the launch of the missile, which crashed in Japan’s selective economic zone, was “a danger to peace and security.”
North Korea has been on the sidelines for much of 2022 and was especially out of the focus of western nations because of Russia’s growing threat, which eventually led to the invasion. They may be testing missiles much frequently because they want to show the rest of the world that Pyongyang is still a very powerful military country.
Recently, South Korea elected a conservative, more hawkish president, Yoon Suk-Yeol. President-elect Yeol is expected to take a much harder stance on the North Koreans, and be more aligned with the United States, compared to his predecessor Moon Jae-In. The launch may have been a sign that shows Kim Jong-Un.
With the election of a new president in South Korea, all eyes are on Korea to see what will emerge between the two rival states.
CIMA Law Group Blog 