A few days after joint maneuvers begin Ulchi Freedom Shieldthe largest military exercise of the year in South Korea, in which the United States collaborates, Pyongyang has launched a warning that points directly to Washington already Seoul. The North Korean Defense Minister, no Kwang Chol, has described these exercises – predists in South Korean territory between August 18 and 28 – of “direct military provocation” and has warned that they will bring “negative consequences” for the safety of both countries.
In a statement released by the North Korean state media, Kwang Chol says that “the military demonstration against RPDC will undoubtedly have a boumelan effect that will leave the United States and the Republic of Korea in an even more insecure situation.” According to the Kim Jong-un regime, the land and virtual military exercises that are going to be carried out in South Korean territory, which this year include simulations of response to a nuclear attack, intend to “raise the level of uncertainty” in the Peninsula and “perpetuate instability” in the region.
The maneuvers will be developed with US and South Korean troops under a unique command, with defensive virtual exercises and coordination practices in the face of a hypothetical North Korean offensive. Part of the operations have been reprogrammed for September due to weather conditions, according to South Korean media. Seoul Unification Minister Chung Dong-Young had defended in July a calendar adjustment to try to relaunch the dialogue with Pyongyang, in a gesture that sought to reduce the tension that exists between them. But analysts such as Cheong Seong-Chang, from the Sejong Institute, argue that the Northern Dictatorship “will not settle for a slight change of date” and demands the total cancellation, according to the magazine .
Pyongyang’s warning, on the other hand, coincides with a time when the Kim Jong-un regime has consolidated close military cooperation with the Russia of Putin. That support of Moscow has allowed him to develop from his arms program in exchange for sending North Korean soldiers and war material to integrate into the Russian forces that fight in the Ukraine War. The United States and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region, in particular Japan and South Korea, with restlessness monitor the modernization of the Arsenal, in which hypersonic missiles and intercontinental range already appear.
In this context, Minister No Kwang Chol has stressed that “the main mission of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Popular Republic of Korea is to stop the offensive actions of enemy states, respond to their military provocations and guarantee the security of the State and peace in the region.” He has also warned that “the North Korean Armed Forces will respond to the military exercises of the United States and the Republic of Korea with a firm and without concessions counterattack strategy.”
With these marked positions, the possibility of resuming dialogue with Washington seem scarce. Donald Trump, who during his first mandate maintained a historical encounter with Kim Jong-un, in which he failed to stop the North Korean nuclear program, has now expressed his intention to resume contacts. However, the dictator’s sister and main advisor, Kim Yo-Jong, has cooled those expectations by ensuring that the situation has “changed radically” and that current conditions do not favor an improvement of relationships or with Seoul or with the United States.
