• Login
thinkcivics.
Subscribe
Join Us
  • Culture & Society
  • Economy
  • Health & Science
  • News & Politics
  • Religion
  • Technology
  • World
No Result
View All Result
tc.
  • Culture & Society
  • Economy
  • Health & Science
  • News & Politics
  • Religion
  • Technology
  • World
Subscribe
Join Us
No Result
View All Result
thinkcivics.
Home World

North Korea Conducts 1st Missile Test Under Biden Administration

ThinkCivics Newswire by ThinkCivics Newswire
March 24, 2021
in World
Reading Time: 4min read
0
0
North Korea Conducts 1st Missile Test Under Biden Administration

SEOUL — North Korea test-fired two short-range cruise missiles over the weekend, South Korean defense officials confirmed Wednesday. The test was the first under the Biden administration, and added to a series of recent provocations and statements seen as warnings to Washington.

Our work relies on the support of readers like you. Please consider supporting us at PayPal or Patreon, to help sustain our journalism.

The test took place off the west coast of North Korea on Sunday, just days after the country accused the United States and South Korea of raising “a stink” on the Korean Peninsula with their annual military drills. It did not violate United Nations resolutions, which ban North Korea from developing or testing ballistic missile technologies.

Get Our Weekly Newsletter and Get Smarter

Receive a weekly recap featuring a curated list of must-read stories.

We agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( more information )

We will never give away, trade or sell your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time.

When North Korea launches missile tests, they are usually celebrated through the state news media and quickly confirmed by the South Korean military. But the North Korean news media has not reported on Sunday’s test. South Korean officials said Wednesday that they had detected the test when it occurred, but decided not to immediately report on it.

South Korean defense officials tend to consider short-range cruise missile tests less of a provocation than ballistic launches. They also tend not to highlight what they consider minor provocations from the North when trying to promote inter-Korean dialogue.

Still, when North Korea launched short-range cruise missiles off its east coast in April last year, they were promptly confirmed by South Korea. In this case, South Korean officials only confirmed the test after it was first reported by The Washington Post.

The missiles were launched from a site near Nampo, a port southwest of Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, at 6:36 a.m. on Sunday, said Ha Tae-keung, a South Korean lawmaker who was briefed by intelligence officials on Wednesday. The intelligence officials said the South Korean military authorities agreed with their American counterparts not to publicize the testing, according to Mr. Ha.

South Korea and the United States completed their annual 10-day military drills last week, and North Korea has commonly responded to those exercises by carrying out its own drills, which sometimes involve missile tests.

Officials and analysts in the region have been watching North Korea closely to see if the country would escalate tensions to gain leverage ahead of possible negotiations with the Biden administration.

North Korea has rebuffed any serious dialogue with Washington since the second summit between its leader, Kim Jong-un, and former President Donald J. Trump ended abruptly in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2019. Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump failed to come up with a deal on how fast the North would dismantle its nuclear program or when Washington would provide sanctions relief.

Pyongyang has made several hostile statements toward the United States in recent days, and analysts said the missile test might be part of a subtle pressure tactic, raising the possibility that North Korea will revert to a new cycle of tensions on the peninsula to squeeze concessions out of Washington.

“Pyongyang, through these new missile tests, is signaling to team Biden that its military capabilities will continue to get more potent with each passing day,” Harry J. Kazianis, senior director for Korean studies at the Washington-based Center for the National Interest, said in an emailed comment.

The Biden administration has stepped up efforts to work more closely with its regional allies, South Korea and Japan, to better handle North Korea’s growing weapons capabilities, as well as a rising China. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III visited Seoul and Tokyo last week as part of the administration’s first high-level diplomatic tour of Asia.

President Biden plans to complete a North Korea policy review in the coming weeks in close coordination with South Korea and Japan, Mr. Blinken said in Seoul. He said the review included both “pressure options and potential for future diplomacy.” During his visit, Mr. Blinken also criticized North Korea’s human rights record, and what he called Mr. Kim’s “repressive government” and its “widespread and systematic abuses.”

Washington achieved a breakthrough last week when a North Korean citizen was extradited to the United States for the first time. A Malaysian court agreed to extradite the North Korean businessman, who is set to face trial in an American court on charges of money laundering and violating international sanctions. North Korea accused Washington of being a “backstage manipulator” in the case, and warned that it would “pay a due price.”

It also said that it felt no need to respond to recent attempts by the Biden administration to establish dialogue, dismissing them as a “delaying-time trick.”

As Washington strengthens its alliances with Tokyo and Seoul, Mr. Kim and Xi Jinping, China’s leader, have vowed to bring their two communist countries closer together.

In a message to Mr. Xi reported in the North Korean news media this week, Mr. Kim stressed the need to strengthen the unity between the two countries in order to “cope with the hostile forces.” In his own message to Mr. Kim, Mr. Xi vowed to help preserve “peace and stability” on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea’s latest missile test suggests Mr. Kim “will tolerate continued economic reliance on China in order to come out of the pandemic on the offensive against Washington and Seoul,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

Read the original article.

ThinkCivics Newswire

ThinkCivics researches, examines, and reports on issues that matter most. We deliver explanative, fearless, and insightful analysis for public consumption.

thinkcivics.com
Tags: Antony JBidenBlinkenDefense and Military ForcesEmbargoes and SanctionsJoseph R JrKim Jong-unMissiles and Missile Defense SystemsNorth KoreaNuclear WeaponsPeace ProcessPolitics and GovernmentUnited States Defense and Military ForcesUnited States International Relations

Related Posts

Biden’s Risky Afghanistan Exit Plan

Biden’s Risky Afghanistan Exit Plan

April 16, 2021
Biden Administration to Impose Tough Sanctions on Russia

Biden Administration to Impose Tough Sanctions on Russia

April 15, 2021

Biden, Setting Afghanistan Withdrawal, Says ‘It Is Time to End the Forever War’

April 15, 2021

Afghanistan: ‘We have won the war, America has lost’, say Taliban

April 15, 2021
Load More
Next Post
Kamala Harris’ Niece Takes Heat For Blaming, Without Evidence, ‘White Men’ For Boulder Shooting

Kamala Harris’ Niece Takes Heat For Blaming, Without Evidence, ‘White Men’ For Boulder Shooting

In Video, Trump Endorses Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn For 2022

In Video, Trump Endorses Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn For 2022

Google Signs Deals With Italian Publishers for Content on News Showcase

Google Signs Deals With Italian Publishers for Content on News Showcase

Staff Editorials

Nominee For HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Testifies Before Senate Committee
News & Politics

Tarheel State Turmoil: The 2022 Senate Battleground

by Seth Palmer
April 16, 2021
Hispanic Culture Clashes with Leftist Activists Over ‘Latinx’
Culture & Society

Hispanic Culture Clashes with Leftist Activists Over ‘Latinx’

by Josh Herrington
April 14, 2021
Governor Brian Kemp Tours Delta Mass Vaccination Site
Culture & Society

Georgia Corporations Cave to Activists On Voter ID Law. Republicans Hit Back Where It Hurts.

by Michael Price, MPA
April 9, 2021
Close Up Of Boxing Gloves
News & Politics

Now Is The Time for America to Make Room for a Third-Party. Voters Deserve Better!

by Samantha DeTurk
April 5, 2021
Vaccine Passports Pose Privacy and Discrimination Concerns Says Health Experts and Digital Privacy Advocates
Health & Science

Vaccine Passports Pose Privacy and Discrimination Concerns Says Health Experts and Digital Privacy Advocates

by Michael Price, MPA
March 29, 2021

Recommended

A Complex Website, a Cautious Government: Why New Obamacare Subsidies Will Roll Out Slowly

A Complex Website, a Cautious Government: Why New Obamacare Subsidies Will Roll Out Slowly

4 weeks ago
The Great Awokening: America’s Latest ‘Religious’ Revival

The Great Awokening: America’s Latest ‘Religious’ Revival

3 days ago
Biden Infrastructure Plan Would Hurt Economy in 3 Ways over Long Run, Ivy League Analysis Finds 

Biden Infrastructure Plan Would Hurt Economy in 3 Ways over Long Run, Ivy League Analysis Finds 

1 week ago
We Need More Joy. Legalize Marijuana.

We Need More Joy. Legalize Marijuana.

2 weeks ago

Categories

  • Culture & Society
  • Economy
  • Editorials
  • Health & Science
  • News & Politics
  • Religion
  • Technology
  • World
No Result
View All Result

Highlights

Ernst Will Introduce Bill To Prevent Planned Parenthood From Profiting Off Biden’s Title X Decision

How Biden Administration Redefines Words, Reshapes Facts to Serve Its Purpose

76 Non-Military, Non-Law Enforcement Federal Agencies Stockpile Weaponry

Marjorie Taylor Greene Challenges AOC To A Debate On The Green New Deal

After Fauci Calls Tucker’s Vaccine Questions A ‘Conspiracy Theory,’ He Asks: ‘What Are You Telling Us?’

House and Senate Democrats Propose Bill to Expand the Supreme Court

What's New

Nominee For HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Testifies Before Senate Committee
News & Politics

Tarheel State Turmoil: The 2022 Senate Battleground

by Seth Palmer
April 16, 2021
0

When the United States Senator Richard Burr signaled during the 2016 election that it would be...

Trump is gone, but land disputes along the border continue under Biden.

Trump is gone, but land disputes along the border continue under Biden.

April 16, 2021
These 107 Corporations Signal Opposition to Election Integrity

These 107 Corporations Signal Opposition to Election Integrity

April 16, 2021

Ernst Will Introduce Bill To Prevent Planned Parenthood From Profiting Off Biden’s Title X Decision

April 16, 2021
How Biden Administration Redefines Words, Reshapes Facts to Serve Its Purpose

How Biden Administration Redefines Words, Reshapes Facts to Serve Its Purpose

April 16, 2021
Facebook Twitter Instagram RSS

Follow us on social media:

About ThinkCivics

We research, examine, and report on issues that matter most. We deliver explanative, fearless, and insightful analysis for public consumption. Our reports are not presented in confusing academic or political language, we speak Main Street English.

Recent News

  • Tarheel State Turmoil: The 2022 Senate Battleground
  • Trump is gone, but land disputes along the border continue under Biden.
  • These 107 Corporations Signal Opposition to Election Integrity

Category

  • Culture & Society
  • Economy
  • Editorials
  • Health & Science
  • News & Politics
  • Religion
  • Technology
  • World

© 2021 ThinkCivics Media. All Rights Reserved.

  • Login
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
  • Store
  • Contact Us
  • ThinkCivics Plus
  • Contribute

© 2021 ThinkCivics Media. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.