Just now, North Korea conducted another ballistic missile test launch!
This has made the United States, South Korea, and Japan very nervous, and this is the second time in a week that North Korea has conducted a ballistic missile test.
On July 1, the South Korean military monitored North Korea's ballistic missile launch in the eastern waters and broadcast the alert as planned. The move came shortly after the just-concluded multilateral military exercise "Edge of Freedom" between South Korea, the United States and Japan, which North Korea viewed as a provocation.
The launch was also North Korea's first weapons test in a week. That comes Wednesday after North Korea test-fired a multiple-warhead ballistic missile that is said to be capable of breaking through the U.S.-South Korean missile defense system. North Korea announced the launch was successful, but South Korea expressed skepticism, with the country's military claiming that the missile's disintegration was "probably just North Korean propaganda to deny the failure of the launch." ”
It is worth noting that North Korea has made significant progress in missile technology in recent years, with the multiple-warhead missile technology (MIRV) appearing to have been tested for the first time during last week's test launch. Multiple-warhead missile technology is a key component of its nuclear weapons and missile program. Multi-warhead technology allows a single missile to carry multiple independent reentry vehicles, each capable of attacking a different target. This technology significantly improves the missile's strike capability and penetration capability, as it is capable of launching attacks on multiple targets at the same time, increasing the difficulty of interception by the enemy's missile defense system.
According to North Korean media, the DPRK has already made certain achievements in the field of multiple warhead technology. For example, the DPRK's top leadership has already mentioned the country's progress in multiple warhead technology and hypersonic missile technology at the congress. After the test launch at the end of June, North Korea claimed that it had successfully conducted a test launch of multiple warhead separation and guided hits. The DPRK side pointed out that the test launch verified the ability of multiple warheads carried by the DPRK to accurately hit different targets, which is of great significance for enhancing the deterrence and actual combat capability of the missile. But South Korea remains skeptical about its actual capabilities. Some South Korean analysts believe that North Korea's test launch of multiple warheads has failed, and the technology may still be in the development stage, and its actual effectiveness and reliability need to be further observed and evaluated.
North Korea's missile test activities in the past six months have been relatively frequent, and this series of actions has attracted wide attention from the international community. North Korea's development of missile technology, especially multiple warhead technology and technology that can evade missile defense systems, is considered by the United States and South Korea to be a major challenge to its own security. These test-firing activities have not only heightened the worries of political circles in the United States and South Korea, but also caused relevant countries to worry that their own missile defense systems may not be sufficient to deal with them, and have raised doubts about their own security environment.
North Korea's criticized "Edge of Freedom" military exercise is a large-scale joint maritime operation that includes missile defense, anti-submarine warfare and maritime interception. The exercise demonstrated close cooperation between the three countries in the military field and their shared vision of taking the initiative in regional security and stability. The United States sent an aircraft carrier to participate in the exercise, while South Korea and Japan dispatched military equipment such as destroyers, fighter jets and helicopters.
Amid tensions between North and South Korea, confrontational actions between the two sides have escalated. In recent weeks, North Korea has released multiple garbage-laden balloons to South Korea in response to South Korean activists distributing political leaflets to North Korea through balloons. This act of reciprocal retaliation has further increased tensions between the two countries.
North Korea's missile test and balloon attack on South Korea must be pointed out against the backdrop of the frequent use of proxies by the United States in the international arena to provoke incidents, which has aroused widespread dissatisfaction in the international community. Under such circumstances, the international community needs to reduce tensions through diplomacy and dialogue and find a peaceful solution to the Korean Peninsula issue. At the same time, all countries should strengthen cooperation to alleviate the challenges to international security brought about by the development of advanced missile technology.
For South Korea and the United States, strengthening their own missile defense capabilities and improving their early warning and interception capabilities against North Korean missile threats have become more of a political topic than a national security issue. In addition, the U.S. continues to push South Korea to form a stronger joint defense system through military cooperation with regional allies such as Japan, which in turn has exacerbated instability in the region.