28 Feb, SEOUL, South Korea: North Korea announced on Friday that it had test-fired strategic cruise missiles to demonstrate its nuclear counterattack capability. The launch, conducted on Wednesday off the country’s west coast, was overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). This marks the country’s fourth missile launch event this year and the second since the start of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term.
The missile test was intended to warn adversaries whom North Korea accused of escalating tensions and violating its security environment. “The enemies, who are seriously violating our security environment and fostering and escalating the confrontation environment, must be made aware of our military’s counterattack capability,” KCNA reported. Kim expressed satisfaction with the test results and reiterated the need for the North Korean military to be fully prepared to use its nuclear arsenal if necessary.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that it had detected and tracked the missile launches. In response, the South Korean military assured its readiness to counter any potential provocations in coordination with the U.S.-South Korea military alliance.
Since taking office on January 20, Trump has highlighted his previous meetings with Kim and suggested a willingness to resume diplomacy. However, North Korea has not formally responded to his overtures and has instead continued its weapons testing and aggressive rhetoric against the U.S.
Many experts believe Kim Jong Un is currently focused on bolstering ties with Russia, supplying weapons and troops to aid its war in Ukraine. Analysts suggest that Kim may reconsider diplomatic engagement with Trump only if he doubts the sustainability of North Korea’s current alignment with Russia once the conflict ends.
Last Saturday, North Korea’s Defense Ministry accused the U.S. and its allies of ramping up military provocations since Trump’s return to office. The ministry cited joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, including a drill involving a U.S. B-1B bomber. A Defense Ministry statement asserted that North Korea would respond to U.S. strategic threats with its strategic measures.
Kim and Trump previously met three times between 2018 and 2019 to negotiate the future of North Korea’s nuclear program. However, talks collapsed due to disagreements over U.S.-led sanctions. Since then, Kim has significantly accelerated missile testing to expand and modernize North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. Experts suggest that, with a more advanced arsenal, Kim may believe he can extract greater concessions from the U.S. should diplomatic talks resume.
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