**North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Threatens “More Offensive Actions” After Missile Test**
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has issued a threat of “more offensive actions” in response to what he perceives as increasing military threats from the United States. This comes after he supervised the third test of his country’s most advanced missile designed to strike the mainland U.S., as reported by state media on Tuesday.
Kim’s defiant statement suggests that he is confident in his growing missile arsenal and is likely to continue weapons testing activities ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. However, many observers believe that North Korea still needs to perform more significant tests to prove it has functioning missiles targeting the U.S. mainland.
After Monday’s launch of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, Kim stated that the test showcased North Korea’s ability to respond if the United States were to make “a wrong decision against it,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim emphasized the need to “never overlook all the reckless and irresponsible military threats of the enemies… and to strongly counter them with more offensive actions,” KCNA reported.
The Hwasong-18 ICBM is a developmental, solid-fueled missile that is considered North Korea’s most powerful weapon. Foreign experts say that while solid propellant makes launches harder to detect, North Korea still has some technological hurdles to master in acquiring reliable nuclear-tipped ICBMs.
The missile, launched at a high angle to avoid neighboring countries, flew a distance of 1,002 kilometers for 73.5 minutes at a maximum altitude of 6,518 kilometers before landing in an area off the North’s east coast. It was the North’s third test of the Hwasong-18 missile, with previous launches in April and July.
Experts believe this latest ICBM test is an indicator of North Korea’s missile engine technology progress, with more significant tests likely in the future.
The U.S. and South Korea recently held meetings regarding a nuclear deterrence plan, leading to North Korea’s reaction. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has expressed that a “nuclear-based, powerful Korea-U.S. alliance” will be formed soon.
Since 2022, North Korea has performed more than 100 ballistic missile tests, with the U.S. and South Korea expanding their military training and bolstering trilateral security cooperation. Additionally, they have increased the temporary deployments of powerful U.S. military assets in South Korea.
The U.S., South Korea, and Japan have also begun to share real-time missile warning data on North Korea and have established trilateral exercises in the coming years. However, North Korea views this growing partnership as a security threat and has sought to boost its ties with China and Russia in response.
Japan is coordinating with Washington and Seoul to arrange a United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss North Korea’s latest launch. The U.S. and others have attempted to toughen U.N. sanctions on North Korea, but these efforts have been blocked by China and Russia.
Moving forward, it is expected that North Korea will continue to raise issues with the U.S.-Japan-Korea trilateral relationship and gravitate towards Beijing and Moscow to protect its own security and interests.