North Korea has successfully launched cruise missiles in its latest warship, the second time the launch of the sea to surface weapon system in a span of a week. The tests are in the context of the reports that the United States is transferring important air defense resources out of South Korea to the Middle East, as the tensions in West Asia inflame. The North Korean government Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the missiles were fired at the same time by the flagship destroyer in the country, Choe Hyon, and they hit a number of targets on the island situated off the west coast of the country. The state media released images of leader Kim Jong Un monitoring the launch, with his daughter Ju Ae who has become more and more prominent in major military occasions.
North Korea Tests Cruise Missiles As US Reportedly Moves Air Defenses Out Of South Korea To Middle East During Iran War
KCNA cited Kim saying that crucial achievements had been made in applying both strategic and tactical strike capacity to practical use and deploying it to actual combat situations. The back-to-back tests have come at a time when Washington has been moving some of her missile defense systems such as Patriot batteries and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system components off the Korean Peninsula and to the Middle East operations. The potential redeployment has raised fears among analysts that the downsizing of missile defenses in South Korea would undermine deterrence against nuclear armed North Korea as Pyongyang continues to increase its weapons programs.
What Does South Korea Say?
South Korean officials have however tried to overrule such fears. President Lee Jae Myung recognized that Seoul was against the movement of the US air defense possessions yet the nation could not stop Washington to reposition its military structures whenever needed. The Defense Ministry of South Korea further pointed out the deterrent powers of the alliance were good because of the military power of the country, defense expenditures, and the combined preparedness of the United States and South Korea. The US now has approximately 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea with high level missile defense apparatus, such as Patriot batteries. In the meantime, Kim has also reportedly instructed military leaders to fit bigger warplanes with supersonic weapons in the future as he continues to make headway to modernize the North Korean navy and increase the strike range of North Korea in the nearby seas.
