(Bloomberg) — North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile into waters off its east coast on Thursday after warning the United States of “fierce” action if it persists in conducting joint military exercises with the allies of the region.
Read more from Bloomberg
North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile at about 10:48 a.m. from Kangwon province, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It was its first missile test in about a week and adds to a record of more than 60 ballistic missile launches this year, in defiance of United Nations resolutions barring such launches by Pyongyang.
The test came shortly after Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui issued a statement saying Pyongyang will respond militarily if the US continues to work with its allies on joint exercises, including those to deter North Korea.
“The more enthusiastic the United States is about the ‘enhanced offer of extended deterrence’ to its allies and the more it steps up provocative and bluffing military activities on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, the fiercer the military countermeasures from the DPRK,” he said. a statement issued by state media, referring to North Korea by its formal name.
North Korea fires a ballistic missile which adds to the dam
Leader Kim Jong Un has raised tensions to some of the highest levels in years by firing a massive missile barrage in recent weeks that included the first shot across a maritime border with South Korea established after the war from Korea
Kim is finding room to increase provocations and carry out military moves against the United States and its allies as the Biden administration focuses on Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia and China, two longtime partners of North Korea, have veto power in the UN Security Council and have shown no intention of punishing Kim with additional sanctions.
The story continues
North Korea has bristled at joint military exercises for decades, describing them as a prelude to an invasion. The United States, Japan and South Korea have warned that the Kim regime appears poised to further escalate tensions with its first test of a nuclear bomb in about five years.
–With the help of Shinhye Kang.
(Updates with details.)
Read more from Bloomberg Businessweek
©2022 Bloomberg LP