On the first day of 2023, North Korea launched a super-large rocket launcher and fired a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan. It is very rare for North Korea to launch missiles on New Year’s Day. What is this for?
Special commentator Chen Bing: Yes, North Korea seldom launches missiles on New Year’s Day, but this year it launched super-large rocket launchers and short-range missiles in an unconventional manner. This means that North Korea has completed various missile tests and is ready for combat . At the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea on December 26, Kim Jong-un said that in a complex and changeable environment, the new key goal of strengthening self-defense will be achieved in 2023, so from the first day of the new year, the launch of a super-large Rockets and short-range missiles are coming to issue a stern warning to the United States, Japan and South Korea.
After the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict last year, North Korea’s sense of insecurity has been deepened. Especially the continuous military assistance from the United States and the West to Ukraine has made North Korea feel that war may be imminent, and it must strengthen its self-defense capabilities. At the same time, the United States, Japan and South Korea are intensifying their arms race in Northeast Asia. Japan made a big breakthrough in its military expenditure and made it clear that it needs to build capabilities capable of attacking hostile bases; South Korea has also increased its military expenditure, especially in the purchase and development of new weapons, in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. The “Alert Storm” air force exercise between the U.S. and South Korea last year was the largest in history. More than 240 fighters took off, including advanced F-35 stealth fighters. Two U.S. B-1B supersonic bombers flew over South Korea, showing Strike force against North Korea. These all show that it is not impossible for the Korean peninsula to go to war again.
Therefore, North Korea has been famous for launching missiles in the past year. The number of missiles launched has broken records. There are short, medium and long-range missiles in order to prevent surprise attacks by the United States, Japan and South Korea. After fully demonstrating its missile combat power, North Korea began to launch a super-large rocket launcher with a range covering the entire South Korea. It can also carry nuclear warheads, further demonstrating to the United States and South Korea. It can be said that the situation on the Korean peninsula is very strange. North Korean drones have entered South Korea, and South Korea has fired aerial bombs but missed them. Some overseas military fan websites predict that the five regions that may trigger a world war in 2023 include the Korean Peninsula.