“US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said North Korea’s launch of an intermediate-range missile during his visit to Seoul on Monday was a reminder of the need for Washington to deepen its cooperation with South Korea and Japan to contain an assertive Pyongyang.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said North Korea’s launch of an intermediate-range missile during his visit to Seoul on Monday was a reminder of the need for Washington to deepen its cooperation with South Korea and Japan to contain a brash Pyongyang.
Source: “European truth” with reference to Reuters
Details: North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile around noon (0300 GMT) that flew more than 1,100 kilometers east and fell into the sea, the South Korean military said.
Speaking at a news conference hours later, Blinken said the launch underscored the importance of cooperation between the US, South Korea and Japan, including real-time missile data sharing and trilateral military exercises.
“Today’s launch is just a reminder to all of us of how important our work together is,” he said.
Blinken also warned of deepening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow. According to him, Washington believes that Russia intends to share space and satellite technologies with North Korea in exchange for its support for the war in Ukraine.
President Joe Biden, who leaves office this month, has made progress in deepening trilateral cooperation between the US and South Korea and Japan, despite historical issues that have often complicated relations between the Asian neighbors.
But the political upheaval in South Korea, as well as the imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House, have called into question the possibility of continuing these efforts.
Monday’s launch was the first since November 5, when Pyongyang launched at least seven short-range ballistic missiles.
It was not immediately clear what type of missile was fired, but last year’s tests of North Korean ICBMs showed a new solid-propellant design.
North Korea has said it is working to make its missiles of all ranges solid-propellant. Solid-fueled missiles do not require fueling immediately before launch, are often simpler and safer to operate, and require less logistical support, making them more difficult to detect and more survivable than liquid-fueled weapons.
What happened before:
- American intelligence services believe that the deployment of North Korean troops in the Russian Federation was the idea of North Korea, not Russia.
- The Pentagon previously predicted an increase in casualties among North Korean troops who continue to participate in battles in the Kursk region.