The dictator attacked his South Korean neighbors and the United States for the military exercises they carry out at sea and which his government interprets as a “threat to the sphere of state security.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has described the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, as “an appropriate military action” amid heightened tensions with South Korea and allegations of North Korean military deployments in Russia.
“The launch is an appropriate military action that fully meets the objective of informing rivals, who have exacerbated the situation in the region and pose a threat to the threat to the security of our republic, our willingness to carry out countermeasures,” Kim said.
Thus, he explained that this launch "also constitutes a indispensable process "within the framework of the constant development of strategic offensive forces" in the face of "the dangerous strengthening of the nuclear alliance by the enemies," according to the North Korean state news agency, KCNA.
Kim has stressed that “risky military maneuvers” by South Korea and the United States “underline the Importance of strengthening nuclear forces (of North Korea)"We must not allow any threat to come close to the security sphere of our state," he said.
“The security situation and the growing threats and challenges require us to continue to boost our modern strategic offensive forces and to further perfect the response posture of our nuclear forces,” he said, adding that Pyongyang “will never change its stance of strengthening its nuclear forces.”
North Korea's Defense Ministry has confirmed that the launch of the intercontinental ballistic missile took place early Thursday at Kim's order, saying that the incident "demonstrates the modernity and credibility of its most powerful strategic deterrent."
Hours earlier, South Korean authorities had denounced the launch, just hours after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart Kim Yong Hyun condemned the alleged deployment of North Korean troops in Russia for the alleged purpose of participating in the invasion of Ukraine.
Following this, the spokesman for the White House National Security Council, Sean Savett, has “strongly condemned North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile test”"This launch is a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions," he said.
For its part, Russia has neither confirmed nor denied having any involvement in North Korea’s advances in nuclear technology for military purposes: “I do not have this information, it is specialized information and you have to ask the Ministry of Defense. I can only repeat once again that we remain committed to the agreement we signed, we remain committed to our interests in developing relations with our neighbor in all areas, and this should not worry or concern anyone. It is the sovereign right of Russia and North Korea to develop relations, being neighboring states,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov on Thursday.
Tensions have been rising on the Korean peninsula in recent months, marked by North Korea sending hundreds of balloons carrying trash across the border. Seoul also resumed propaganda broadcasts over loudspeakers at the border in June for the first time in six years, as well as live-fire exercises near the demarcation line, in addition to ballistic missile and other missile exercises during joint military exercises with the United States.
North Korean authorities have also been increasing their launches in recent years, operations they describe as "warnings" in response to Seoul's actions, with which they have not yet signed a peace agreement despite the fact that the Korean War (1950-1953) ended with an armistice, so both countries are still technically at war.
(with information from EP)
Source: INFOBAE