The trouble brewing in the Korean peninsula
The Hindu
What message do the recent missile tests in North Korea send to the larger international order?
North Korea, on January 30 test fired their IRBM (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile) Hwasong-12. This can be seen as a multipronged strategy to not only signal its adversary far west and work as an effective way to refine their weapon systems but also serve as a propaganda tool for its people who are currently going through a severe food crisis. The Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s state news agency, reported that the test “confirmed the accuracy, security and operational effectiveness of the “Hwasong-12”-type weapon system under production”.
Its immediate neighbour, South Korea, has decried the tests with its president, Moon Jae-in, calling it a “challenge toward the international community’s efforts to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, stabilise peace and find a diplomatic solution”. It has long followed the Sunshine Policy to improve relations with its northern neighbour.