Well, North Korea is back at it again, folks, this time testing an intercontinental ballistic missile that has the capability to carry a nuclear warhead with a range that enables it to strike anywhere across the mainland of the United States, defense officials revealed on Friday.
Fox News reported that the missile landed 130 miles off the coast of Japan, with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command stating it was in close communication with both Japanese and South Korean officials.
The country’s dictator, Kim Jong Un, is just never going to give it a rest, is he? Well, when Donald Trump was in the Oval Office, you didn’t have this concern. For whatever reason, Trump was able to command Kim Jong Un’s respect…and likely fear… that kept him at bay. But now, with weak leadership like that offered up by President Joe Biden, the dictator does not have much of a reason to be concerned.
“The U.S. command immediately condemned Pyongyang’s missile launched and called on it to ‘refrain from any further unlawful and destabilizing acts,” Fox News said. “Defense officials said they did not assess the missile test was an immediate threat to the U.S. or its allies but said it would continue to ‘monitor the situation.'”
“U.S. commitments to the defense of the ROK [Republic of Korea] and Japan remain ironclad,” the Indo-Pacific Command went on to say in a statement released early Friday morning.
North Korea has been rather busy as of late, launching a series of missile tests over the course of the last few weeks as it appears the country is now trying to give its nuclear program and position a big boost. It’s likely that they are attempting to put themselves in a position where they are more of a threat to global superpowers like the United States. It’s little man syndrome on a geopolitical scale.
“Pyongyang’s attempts to bolster its geopolitical standing coincided with China and Russia’s decision earlier this year to strike down Western attempts to increase U.N. sanctions on North Korea to curb its nuclear development. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the launch as ‘utterly unacceptable’ and said the missile fell within Japan’s exclusive economic zone. Japan’s Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada estimated that the missile had a potential range of over 9,300 mile depending on the weight of the warhead,” The Fox News report stated.
“In which case it could cover the entire mainland United States,” he added in a terrifying warning.
Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council remarked that the missile launch “needlessly raises tensions” and showed that North Korea prioritized military gains over diplomacy. In other words, they would rather have military superiority than try to work out issues with other countries using their words. Which is an immature, bullyish kind of thing to do, but hey, this is North Korea we’re talking about.
“Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilizing actions and instead choose diplomatic engagement,” she said, weighing in on the situation.
The military of South Korea launched F-35 warplanes Friday to do drills simulating aerial strikes on North Korean missile launchers. An additional group of eight U.S. and South Korean fighter jets separately performed some drills and maneuvers off of the east coast of the peninsula.