North Korea Tests More Missiles, Warns Of Turning Pacific Into 'Firing Range'

    Photo: KCNA/KNS/AFP [via Al Jazeera]

    The Facts

    • On Monday morning, North Korea reportedly test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, a move the South Korean military condemned as a serious provocation.

    • In a statement released by state media, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned that the extent to which Pyongyang will use the Pacific as a "firing range" depended on the US military's actions.


    The Spin

    Establishment-critical narrative

    Despite the US and its allies blaming Pyongyang for increasing tensions, Washington cannot obscure the fact that it bears the main responsibility for declining diplomatic relations, especially as the Biden administration has switched back to a confrontational course following Donald Trump's efforts at de-escalation. Washington is fueling conflict to force closer ties with Japan and South Korea in order to expand its regional influence.

    Pro-establishment narrative

    While the North regularly slams South Korea-US drills as alleged invasion rehearsals, it is the desperate regime in Pyongyang that is escalating tensions to consolidate its power. In doing so, the nation keeps violating UN Security Council resolutions by expanding its nuclear and ballistic missile activities, all the while starving its own population. Washington and its allies are obliged to show strength against the ruthless North Korean regime.

    Nerd narrative

    There's a 50% chance that Kim Jong Un will no longer be the leader of North Korea by January 2040, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


    Establishment split

    CRITICAL

    PRO

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