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What North Korea’s missile test after Maduro arrest says about Kim’s denuclearisation stance
The test also appears to indicate Pyongyang’s objection to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Beijing
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A missile test by North Korea in the aftermath of the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro signals what analysts have said is Pyongyang’s cautionary stance over the vulnerability of countries without credible military and nuclear deterrence.
While overseeing the launch of multiple missiles on Sunday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un alluded to the US attacks on Venezuela and Maduro’s arrest a day earlier and Iran in June as justifications to bolster his nuclear arsenal.
The test of what the South Korean military said were hypersonic missiles also appeared to indicate the North’s objection to closer ties between South Korea and China, coinciding with President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Beijing. Lee arrived in the Chinese capital on Sunday and is scheduled to attend a banquet hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday.
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Pyongyang’s foreign ministry on Sunday condemned the US military strike in Venezuela, saying the capture of Maduro and his wife was “the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty”.
The Korean Central News Agency reported on Monday that Kim attended the successful launch of the missiles from Pyongyang to the East Sea, referred to by Tokyo as the Sea of Japan.
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“Our activity is clearly aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a highly developed basis. Why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events,” Kim was quoted as saying.
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