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South Korea, US boost tensions with missiles, call out North Korea

Frank Smith
Press TV, Seoul


Tensions are simmering on the Koran Peninsula in the wake of the recent joint war games by the United States and South Korea.

The US and South Korea launched eight surface to surface ballistic missiles off South Korea’s east coast early Monday morning. These followed North Korea’s test-firing of eight missiles a day earlier. During a Memorial Day ceremony, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol reiterated his firm policy against Pyongyang.

North Korea has conducted more than a dozen missile tests this year. Still, Pyongyang lags far behind Seoul in conventional arms and the overall arsenal at its disposal, as the US plans to station 28,500 troops, equipped with various advanced weapons, in South Korea. It is the imbalance that some analysts believe motivates North Korea to continue missile and nuclear arms development.

North Korea’s missile tests on Sunday followed US-South Korea joint naval exercises off Okinawa, with the participation of a US aircraft carrier and South Korean destroyers.

South Korean intelligence and satellite imagery analysis now indicate that North Korea may be ready for a nuclear test, its first since 2017.

Even before his inauguration in May, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol staked out a hard line position on North Korea, advocating for US nuclear strategic assets, missile defenses and the preparation of pre-emptive strike capabilities. The question moving forward is whether such policies will make South Korea and the region safer.


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