(ReliableNews.org) – North Korea started taunting Joe Biden shortly before he assumed office in January 2021 and hasn’t yet appeared to slow down. They have conducted boots-on-the-ground training exercises and have aggressively worked to expand their weapons capabilities.
On Tuesday, September 28, North Korean military officials test-fired a short-range missile off its eastern coastline. South Korean and U.S. officials are analyzing data related to the test firing. Japan’s Prime Minister suspects it may have been a ballistic missile. However, it remains unclear precisely what kind of missile military officials tested.
North Korea fired a short-range missile off its east coast on Tuesday, just as the North’s ambassador to the UN called on the U.S. to end joint military exercises and withdraw its strategic weapons from around the Korean Peninsula. https://t.co/RpiczmFXGX
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) September 28, 2021
Curiously, Pyongyang scheduled the test at the same time its ambassador delivered a speech to the United Nations calling on the United States to end its joint military exercises in the Korean Peninsula.
The missile test also trailed behind recent comments by Kim Jong-un’s sisters claiming the country would consider resuming talks with South Korean officials in the form of a summit meeting, provided Seoul could make an effort to restore trust with Pyongyang.
Officials from the United States Indo-Pacific Command released a statement confirming that the test didn’t “pose an immediate threat” to U.S. personnel, territory, or allies. However, the test highlights the “destabilizing impact” of North Korea’s “illicit weapons program.”
As the Indo-Pacific Command concluded, the U.S. commitment to the defense of the region “remains ironclad.”
Copyright 2021, ReliableNews.org
