Is North Korea’s missile launch a ‘self-preservation measure to maintain order’?

North Korea has once again fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs). Two days have passed since the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) into the Pacific Ocean from the Mupyeong-ri area of ​​Jagang Province on the 4th.

South Korean military authorities said on the 6th that they captured two SRBMs fired by North Korea from the Samseok area of ​​Pyongyang between 6:01am and 23am on the 6th.

The first shot was detected at a flight distance of 350 km and an altitude of 80 km, and the second at a flight distance of 800 km and an altitude of 60 km.

Based on the flight path, it is assumed to be a super large multiple rocket launcher (KN-25) and the North Korean version of the Iskander ballistic missile (KN-23), both of which appear to have been launched from a mobile phone. launcher (TEL).

Samseok Station is northeast of Taesong Station in central Pyongyang, and this is the first time this area has been mentioned as a missile launch site.

South Korean military authorities said, “In case of further provocations in North Korea, we will maintain a firm posture of readiness by following and monitoring related trends under close cooperation between South Korea and the United States.”

North Korea’s recent short-range ballistic missile launch is being interpreted as a reaction against the re-launch of the US nuclear aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan in the waters of the Korean Peninsula.

The Reagan, which had recently departed the East Sea after completing a joint ROK-US-ROK-US-Japan exercise, returned to the high seas of the East Sea immediately after North Korea launched an IRBM and took part in the South Korea-USA-Japan joint exercise on the 6th.

In fact, North Korea’s foreign ministry criticized the state media, the Korean Central News Agency, on the same day, saying, “The United States is creating a threat by reintroducing an aircraft carrier strike group into the waters of the Korean Peninsula.”

“I strongly condemn the UN Security Council for unfairly dragging the US military’s appropriate measures to ROK-US joint exercises that increase military tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” he said.

Earlier, the UN Security Council held a public briefing following North Korea’s IRBM launch, but failed to adopt the statement due to opposition from permanent members China and Russia.

After the meeting, Western countries, including the United States, and South Korea and Japan issued a statement over the counter condemning North Korea’s missile launch.

Meanwhile, the South Korean Navy and Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Forces reportedly conducted a missile warning exercise that simulated the tracking and detection of virtual ballistic missiles to counter North Korean ballistic missiles.

North Korea’s missile launches can be divided into two types. These are the pre-planned launches along the lines of strengthening nuclear power, and the launches with political intentions depending on the situation.

Kim Jin-moo, a professor at Sookmyung Women’s University and former Korean Defense Research Institute, told the BBC that the Iskander launched by North Korea on the 6th was a ‘five-minute standby’ to respond to a momentary threat. This means they are ready to shoot whenever a threat approaches.

In particular, he noted that “Iskander has been launched several times since 2019, and a considerable amount of data has been accumulated, and as a result, reliability has increased.”

Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies, also said, “North Korea is showing internally and externally that strengthening its nuclear power is not empty talk.

Some say that the current situation on the Korean Peninsula is an unfavorable strategic environment for North Korea. Since the establishment of the Yun Seok-yeol government, the surrounding environment around Korea and the Korean Peninsula has changed rapidly.

In fact, since the establishment of the Yun government, the strengthening of the ROK-US alliance and the triangular cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan have come to the fore, creating an unfavorable situation for North Korea.

Moreover, the United States is not interested in North Korea because it is worried about its own affairs and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and China is also struggling with economic difficulties and the corona pandemic, and neglects North Korea as it focuses on Xi Jinping’s third term, such as preparing for the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party. .

Professor Kim Jin-moo said, “This situation is unsettling for North Korea and an opportunity to test various missiles at the same time.

In particular, he emphasized, “In a situation where internal public sentiment is greatly shaken by food shortages and economic difficulties caused by natural disasters such as ongoing droughts and floods, as well as infectious diseases such as the corona virus and influenza , successive missile launches are a measure of self-preservation for the survival of the regime.”

In the case of a dictatorship, once it starts to fall, it is out of control, so whenever a crisis comes, it constantly cracks and uses it.

North Korea continues its armed forces, firing missiles six times in the past 12 days, including this day.