South Korea's military and Tokyo authorities said North Korea has launched a short-range missile towards the sea off its east coast.
Authorities in South Korea and the United States are examining the launch's details. However, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that it "might be a ballistic missile," which can carry big nuclear weapons and is prohibited under UN sanctions.
The test took place early Tuesday after North Korea's UN envoy stated that no one can dispute his country's right to self-defense and weapon testing. Kim Song accused the US of hostility and stated that developing a "war deterrent" was essential for his nation to protect itself against US threats.
North Korea despises the US' "hostile policy"
He urged that the Biden administration stop joint military drills with South Korea immediately, accusing Seoul of violating inter-Korean peace accords by putting its Western partner ahead of "national unity," as per Sky News.
North Korea's newest action comes after the country conducted two ballistic and cruise missile tests earlier this month. The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul declined to reveal what the North launched in its latest test on the Korean Peninsula or how far it flew.
If the US wants to end the 1950-53 Korean War and is truly desirous of peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula, Kim Song demanded that the US "permanently" stop its military exercises with South Korea, which the North has traditionally described as invasion rehearsals, and end the deployment of US strategic weapons.
"The US is still ignoring the reality that the Korean War has not ended for over 70 years," Kim added, referring to the Biden administration's announcement that it had concluded the longest war in Afghanistan after 20 years.
Every day since the DPRK's founding in 1948, the DPRK has faced military threats and hostile activities from the US, according to Kim, Daily Mail reported. North Korea primarily uses the phrase "hostile policy" to refer to US-led restrictions on its nuclear weapons program and joint military drills between the US and South Korea.
In the face of new and larger obstacles like COVID-19 and growing US-China tensions, North Korea's nuclear program seemed to fade in importance during this year's General Assembly, and the conference ended without significant fresh recommendations to break the diplomatic deadlock.
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Kim Jong Un allegedly uses South's desire for reconciliation
North Korea, on the other hand, despises being ignored. After months of relative silence, the nation tested new cruise missiles with nuclear warheads and fired ballistic missiles from a train this month. It then proposed that relations with South Korea be improved provided certain conditions were satisfied.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is reportedly using the South's desire for inter-Korean engagement to exert pressure on Seoul to extract concessions from the Biden administration on his behalf as he renews his attempt to leverage his nuclear weapons for desperately needed economic and security benefits, according to analysts.
Both President Joe Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in voiced hope last week at the United Nations General Assembly that the stalemate with North Korea could be resolved diplomatically while avoiding the new tensions sparked by the North's recent tests.
Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, reached out to Seoul last Friday and Saturday, indicating her nation was willing to restarting negotiations and taking measures toward reconciliation provided certain conditions.
According to some analysts, North Korea wants South Korea to help it get respite from US-led sanctions. South Korea praised her remarks as "important," but asked North Korea to reopen lines of contact before any discussions between the two countries could take place.
For the past 15 months, the communication cables have been mostly idle, as per 7News. North Korea has remained unresponsive to South Korea's attempts to communicate through the channels, according to Seoul's unification ministry.
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