Missile launch intended to “threat” to the United States, Kim Jong-un aimed at zero diplomatic results
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Why North Korea Continues to Develop Long-Range Missiles
How long will the provocation continue? North Korea launched ballistic missiles on September 25th, 28th, 29th, and October 1st, 4th, and 6th. There is no precedent for a ballistic missile to be launched in such a short period of time. What is the true purpose of this continuous firing? In this article, I would like to consider the background of the ballistic missile launch.
The missiles launched were short-range ballistic missiles, except on October 4, and landed outside Japan’s EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) in the northern part of the Sea of Japan. The problem is the October 4th missile. Let me explain the situation at this point in a little more detail.
At around 7:22 on October 4, North Korea launched a single ballistic missile from an inland area toward the east. It flew about 4,600 km at a maximum altitude of about 1,000 km, passed over Aomori Prefecture from about 7:28 to about 7:29, and fell about 3,200 km east of Japan at about 7:44.
Although this missile is classified as an intermediate-range ballistic missile, it can be said that the fact that it landed in the Pacific Ocean rather than in the Sea of Japan is clearly intended for the United States.
The reason North Korea is developing long-range ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), including this intermediate-range ballistic missile, is because it perceives the military threat of the United States. For this reason, the United States is the main axis of North Korea’s foreign policy.
Since Japan and South Korea are just following the United States, even if they criticize Japan and South Korea in the Rodong Shinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party of Korea, they do not attach much importance to them. North Korea is most concerned about US troops stationed in Japan and South Korea and troops reinforced from Guam and the US mainland, with the Self-Defense Forces and South Korean forces secondary.
The ultimate goal of North Korea’s diplomacy with the United States is to conclude a peace treaty with the United States. In other words, they want to bring the Korean War, which has been in a “truce” since 1953, to an “end of the war.” If the war ends and a peace treaty is signed, the United States has effectively accepted North Korea’s dictatorship, and the regime will continue to be maintained.
But before that, there is the big problem of what to do with ICBMs and nuclear weapons, which pose a threat to the United States. Until this issue is resolved, the Korean War cannot be “ended.” This is where the threat of using ballistic missiles comes into play.