N. Korea fired cruise missiles shortly after Biden’s inauguration i

North Korea, which fired two cruise missiles on Sunday towards the West Sea of Korea, has reportedly fired the missiles on Jan. 20 (local time), the same day of U.S. President Joe Biden’s inauguration. South Korean military authorities view that the cruise missiles could be new intermediate-range cruise missiles equipped with tactical nuclear weapons, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed at the 8th Workers’ Party convention held in January. The South Korean authorities have made the latest missile news public after three days of the fire and kept the January missile fire confidential for the past two months, despite the risk that the missile could have been new weapons capable of directly attacking South Korea.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff, North Korea fired two cruise missiles near Onchon, Pyongyang around 6:00 to 7:00 a.m. on Monday . According to official sources, North Korea had fired the same missiles shortly after U.S. President Biden’s inauguration. South Korean military authorities view that North Korea had tested the new cruise missiles that Kim Jong Un mentioned in January. “We have seized military technical advantage by developing high-tech nuclear weapons including intermediate-range cruise missiles,” said the North Korean leader in January.

Experts say that North Korea’s actions are reflection of low-level muscle flexing towards the Biden administration, which is devising new policies on North Korea.


lightee@donga.com