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International community condemns North Korean missile launches

FORUM Staff

Four rounds of missile tests by North Korea in January 2022 signal the regime’s continued refusal to abide by international law or negotiate for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to experts. The latest iteration of launches also prompted the United States to levy a new round of sanctions against individuals and entities accused of helping develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile-related materials for Kim Jong Un.

“Today’s actions, part of the United States’ ongoing efforts to counter the DPRK’s [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s] weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, target its continued use of overseas representatives to illegally procure goods for weapons,” Brian E. Nelson, U.S. Treasury Department undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in mid-January 2022 in announcing the latest U.S. sanctions. “The DPRK’s latest missile launches are further evidence that it continues to advance prohibited programs despite the international community’s calls for diplomacy and denuclearization.”

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on January 17. They traveled 380 kilometers and reached an altitude of 42 kilometers, according to South Korean military analysts. (Pictured: This photo shows what North Korea claims to be a tactical guided missile being fired on January 17, 2022.)

North Korea also launched single missiles January 5 and 11, describing both as hypersonic, according to news reports. A North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson called the tests “just part of its efforts for modernizing its national defense capability,” while acknowledging the actions violated United Nations sanctions, ABC News reported.

“These actions increase the risk of miscalculation and escalation and pose a significant threat to regional stability,” according to a joint statement issued after the January 11 test by U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield on behalf of Albania, France, Ireland, Japan, the United Kingdom and the U.S. “We call on the DPRK to refrain from further destabilizing actions, abandon its prohibited WMD and ballistic missile programs, and engage in meaningful dialogue towards our shared goal of complete denuclearization, consistent with the [U.N.] Security Council resolutions. This is the only way for us to achieve lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

While North Korea touts its latest launches, experts doubt the regime’s claims that it developed the type of hypersonic capacity achieved by Western powers.

“A hypersonic missile that can defeat advanced missile-defense systems is a game changer if a nuclear warhead is mated to it,” Drew Thompson, a former U.S. Defense Department official and a visiting senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, told CNN. He also cautioned, “that’s a huge if. Having it and wanting it are not the same thing.”

There are three types of hypersonic weapons, which have greater speed and accuracy than traditional missiles: guided ballistic missiles with warheads that can be steered to a target; hypersonic glide vehicles, which are launched by a rocket before gliding to a target; and hypersonic cruise missiles, which are powered by high-speed, air-breathing engines, according to National Public Radio.

“We believe that North Korea’s report dated January 6 on the firing range of their hypersonic missile as well as its capabilities have been exaggerated,” South Korea’s National Defense Ministry said, according to CNBC. “The missile [North Korea] claimed as hypersonic was, in fact, a ballistic missile, which precision technology has been upgraded. Our assessment is based on intelligence offered by the U.S. and Japan, in addition to our assessment.”

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said North Korea’s launches did not pose an immediate threat to the U.S. or its allies, according to Reuters, but that “these missile launches highlight the destabilizing impact of [North Korea’s] illicit weapons program.”

A U.S. State Department statement called for the international community to maintain a strong, unified message that North Korea refrain from provocations, abide by its obligations under the U.N. Security Council resolution and completely denuclearize.

“Our DPRK policy remains unchanged,” the State Department said. “We remain committed to exploring dialogue and diplomacy. We hope the DPRK will end its destabilizing activities and respond positively to our offers to engage in dialogue and diplomacy.”

IMAGE CREDIT: REUTERS

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