Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs North Korea’s government says that it has test-fired cruise missiles to “inform the enemies” of the country’s nuclear “counterattack capability.”Why It MattersNorth Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un’s frequent missile tests and nuclear threats have led to a recent deterioration in already strained relations with South Korea.Relations between the U.S. and North Korea have also recently deteriorated, despite President Donald Trump returning to office last month following a first term that included three meetings with Kim.
A man is pictured watching news footage of North Korea’s latest test-launch of strategic cruise missiles at a train station in Seoul, South Korea, on February 28.
A man is pictured watching news footage of North Korea’s latest test-launch of strategic cruise missiles at a train station in Seoul, South Korea, on February 28.
JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images
What To KnowAfter the U.S. test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the North Korean Defense Ministry last week accused the Trump administration of “provocations threatening the security environment of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)” and warned that it considers “nuclear deterrence” to be “a just and inevitable option.”In North Korea on Friday morning local time, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a news release that the “strategic cruise missile launching drill” occurred on Wednesday morning in the Yellow Sea, to which it referred as the “West Sea of Korea.””The purpose of the launching drill was to inform the enemies, who are seriously violating the security environment of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and fostering and escalating the confrontation environment, of the KPA’s counterattack capability in any space,” the release states.”And [show] the readiness of its various nuke operation means, and to demonstrate the reliability of the state nuclear deterrence and make the strategic cruise missile sub-units get adept in fulfilling their sudden firing mission,” it continues.A short time later, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that it had tracked the North Korean missile test and “maintains readiness to repel any potential provocation by North Korea based on the solid South Korea-U.S. military alliance,” according to the Associated Press (AP).What People Are SayingNewsweek reached out for comment to the White House and the U.S. Department of Defense via email on Thursday night.According to KCNA, Kim expressed “satisfaction over the result of the launching drill” and “said that it is a responsible exercise of the DPRK’s war deterrence to continuously test the reliability and operation of the components of its nuclear deterrence and demonstrate their might.””What is guaranteed by powerful striking ability is the most perfect deterrence and defense capacity,” the North Korean leader reportedly added.Acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok said during a recent visit to his country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff command control center that “the military must maintain a readiness posture to make an immediate response to any provocations from North Korea while establishing an unwavering military command structure.”What Happens NextWhile North Korea’s military has recently heavily focused on sending troops to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine, the country remains a military threat to South Korea, and potentially a nuclear threat to the U.S.None of Trump’s first-term meetings with Kim resulted in any meaningful concessions from the North Korean leader on his nuclear program. Kim has ignored a recent suggestion by Trump for further discussions, the AP reported.The Associated Press contributed information for this article.
