North Korea: North Korea has declared that any move to intercept and shoot down its test missiles would be considered “a declaration of war.”
According to a South Korean media report cited in Ms. Kim Yo Jong’s statement, the United States planned to shoot down Mr. Pyongyang’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) if the weapons were test-launched towards the Pacific Ocean. Ms. Kim Yo Jong is the powerful sister of North Korean leader Mr. Kim Jong Un.
North Korean ballistic missiles, which are normally launched at steep angles to avoid neighbouring nations, have never been shot down by the US or its allies, but the issue has been under increased focus ever since Mr. Pyongyang said it would shoot additional missiles over Japan.
North Korea’s vehement language comes as joint military exercises between the US and South Korea are being resumed and expanded as a result of Mr. Pyongyang’s record-breaking number of missile tests last year. Against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, the US sent a B-52 bomber to a joint exercise with South Korean fighter jets, according to the South Korean defence ministry.
Later this month, the US and South Korean forces will resume their major exercises. The Freedom Shield exercise, a computer-simulated command post-training exercise targeted at enhancing defence and reaction capabilities, will be conducted concurrently with the field training exercises, known as Warrior Shield FTX, which will feature amphibious landings.
Ms. Kim Yo Jong forewarned that North Korea was prepared to respond to the drills with “overwhelming” measures. Ms. Kim has repeatedly cautioned against an expansion of US forces on the Korean peninsula, stating last month that “the frequency of using the Pacific as our shooting range relies upon” the presence of US forces.
As a result of the 1950–1953 Korean War, which concluded in an armistice rather than a peace treaty and left the two nations formally at war, there are currently about 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea.
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