At the end of March, Jack Kim and Hyonhee Shin reported that North Korea test-fired ballistic missiles while US Secretary of State Blinken visited South Korea for a conference. This angered South Korea, Japan, and the US who condemned the launches as violations of UN resolutions and threats to regional security. South Korea believes it might be related to a new hypersonic missile development program. North Korea denies any connection to the Ukrainian War, but the US, South Korea, and Ukraine suspect North Korea is supplying weapons to Russia, in exchange for fuel and food. In response, the US, South Korea, and Japan are strengthening military cooperation, including joint air drills with a US B-52 bomber. These, however, have triggered North Korea’s test-launch of “super-large multiple rocket units” on April 22nd, as Dzirhan Mahadzir reported. North Korea claims this drill simulated a nuclear counterattack, stating this launch is a response to recent US-South Korea military drills.
Suspicions about North Korea’s involvement in the invasion of Ukraine are all but unfounded. Experts from the UN declared that, in January 2024, a missile landed in Kharkiv, Ukraine. UN sanction monitors found debris and said it was from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile. While the launch origin remains unclear, the trajectory suggests it came from Russia. The discovery represents a clear violation of North Korea’s arms embargo, and yet another violation of international law. This incident adds tension to the whole situation, as Russia recently vetoed the renewal of the UN panel monitoring North Korea’s sanctions.
Pyongyang’s alleged involvement in the conflict, fuelled by rumours of arms deals and the chilling discovery of North Korean missiles on Ukrainian soil, is a nightmarish escalation teetering on the precipice of global catastrophe. This is not just a violation of UN resolutions or a regional squabble. It represents a callous disregard for human life, a potential spark that could ignite a powder keg of nuclear nightmares. The spectre of an escalating arms race between world powers looms large, casting a long shadow over a world desperate for peace. North Korea’s actions, fuelled by a desire for power and inflamed by the desperation of a rogue state, endanger not only the fragile peace of the region, but the very security of our planet. The consequences are nothing short of apocalyptic. The world must act with decisive unity to extinguish this spark before it consumes us all.
The Council on Foreign Relations suggests that decades of diplomatic efforts to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear program resemble a frustrating dance with two steps forward and one step back. Agreements like the 1994 Agreed Framework inspired hope, only to be extinguished by disagreements over inspections, sanctions relief, and the speed of denuclearisation. Multilateral efforts like the Six-Party Talks offered a glimmer of promise, but ultimately stalled. Even recent summits between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un have not yielded results. North Korea’s continuous missile tests serve as a chilling reminder of the ever-present threat.
