FLURRY OF ACTIVITY
With a wary eye on North Korea’s military moves and other rising challenges in the region, Yoon has moved to repair frayed ties with Japan and reduce historical disputes that have limited cooperation between the two US allies.
This year North Korea test-fired its first-ever solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and conducted a failed attempt to launch its first-ever spy satellite on a new launch vehicle. United Nations Security Council resolutions ban North Korea’s use of ballistic missile technology, including for satellite launches.
The Security Council, as well as a number of nations, have imposed sanction on North Korea for its missile and nuclear weapons programmes.
Analysts say commercial satellite imagery shows North Korea is expected to stage displays of military force, including a large parade, for an upcoming holiday on Jul 27 that commemorates its claim to victory in the 1950 to 1953 Korean War against the United States, South Korea, and their allies.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, on Tuesday accused a US military spy plane of entering the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone eight times, state media KCNA reported.
“Kim Yo Jong’s bellicose statement against US surveillance aircraft is part of a North Korean pattern of inflating external threats to rally domestic support and justify weapons tests, said Leif-Eric Easley, an international studies professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
“Pyongyang also times its shows of force to disrupt what it perceives as diplomatic coordination against it, in this case, South Korea and Japan’s leaders meeting during the NATO summit.”