North Korea has fired a hypersonic missile in its first major weapons test of 2022.
The U.S. State Department has condemned what it says was a ballistic missile launch, stating that it was a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council Resolutions, and poses a threat to North Korea’s neighbors and the international community as a whole. The U.S. repeated calls for a renewed dialogue between the countries.
The United Nations prohibits North Korea from both ballistic and nuclear weapons tests. The launch, however, indicates that North Korea may be more interested in an expansion of its weapons arsenal rather than denuclearization.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has vowed that he will bolster the country’s defenses in 2022, especially amid an unstable international situation and stalled talks with the U.S. and South Korea. In his New Year speech, Kim promised more defenses for North Korea and failed to mention any South Korean efforts to restart negotiations or calls from the U.S. for dialogue.
This launch is the first one for nuclear-armed North Korea to test-launch since October, underscoring Kim Jong Un’s vow.
The missile launch happened only hours before South Korean President Moon Jae-in attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a new rail line that he called “a stepping stone for peace.” Moon hopes the new rail will eventually connect the divided Korean Peninsula together.
The new rail was a central issue in meetings between Moon and Kim in 2018, but the talks faltered in 2019 after unsuccessfully convincing North Korea to surrender nuclear weapons in exchange for an easing of sanctions against the country.
Moon has been responsible for unprecedented efforts to engage with North Korea. Analysts and experts have viewed his efforts as a forlorn hope for some kind of diplomatic breakthrough between the two countries, especially before his five-year presidency term comes to a conclusion in May.
Be the first to comment