NK fires missiles in retaliation for military drills
China should prepare for a possible deterioration in the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, experts cautioned, after North Korea launched four ballistic missiles into the sea near the northwest coast of Japan on Monday.
The firing of the missiles shows that North Korea fulfilled its vows of retaliation over the ongoing US- South Korea joint military drills, experts said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Monday that “The resolutions of the UN Security Council have clear regulation on North Korea’s launches based on ballistic missile technology. China opposes North Korea’s missile launch, which violates the resolution of the UN Security Council.”
At the press conference, Geng also mentioned the US- South Korea joint military drills, and said “Under the current situation, relevant countries should not provoke each other and increase tensions in the region.”
The military exercises are not helpful in cooling down tensions, said Chu Yin, associate professor at the University of International Relations.
“These countries’ military activities have formed
a vicious circle on the Korean Peninsula: missile test followed by joint drills, and then missile test again, and then sanctions, and more missile or nuclear tests. These activities will make it harder to solve the problem by negotiation,” Chu said.
Since February, China has been lobbying for the restart of the Six- Party Talks ( consisting of China, the US, Russia, Japan, South Korea and North Korea), but hasn’t received many positive responses yet.
North Korea’s missile and nuclear technology is getting increasingly close to the US bottom line ( warhead miniaturization and reach of missiles to the US territory), so the US and South Korea are more likely to conduct unilateral military strikes to end North Korea’s nuclear program, Chu said.
“It is very possible that the tensions on the Korean Peninsula will be esca- lated by some countries’ irresponsible actions,” Chu said. “China must have a comprehensive preparation, including military preparation, to deal with the potential escalation.”
North Korea’s gambling
According to a Reuters report, South Korea’s military said the missiles were unlikely to have been intercontinental ballistic missiles ( ICBM) which can reach US territory. The missiles flew on average 1,000 kilometers and reached a height of 260 kilometers.
Some North Korean missiles landed in waters as close as 300 kilometers to Japan’s northwest coast, Japan’s Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said in Tokyo. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the Japanese parliament that this is “an extremely dangerous action.”
“These missiles are intermediaterange ballistic missiles, and four missiles amount to a saturation attack, but North Korea is incapable of launching a precision attack,” Song Zhongping, a military expert who used to serve in the Second Artillery Corps ( now called the PLA Rocket Force), told the Global Times.
Precision- guided missiles require a comprehensive system that consists of radar and satellites, which is beyond North Korea’s capability, Song said.
“Pyongyang has weapons of mass destruction ( WMD) including nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and is capable of putting them on the missiles,” Song said. This makes the missile’s accuracy less important because a WMD’s lethal radius is much longer than conventional weapons, so these four launches are enough to send a warning signal to the US and South Korea, he added.
North Korea is gambling, Song said, and such military behavior is meant to tell the US and South Korea that “If you dare to hurt me, my missiles with WMDs will hit any of you as well as Ja- pan, so think carefully when you plan unilateral military strikes.”
US- South Korea provocation
On the other hand, the US and South Korea refuse to negotiate with North Korea, and conduct large- scale joint military exercises every year instead. This is also the reason why North Korea feels insecure and acts in a provocative manner, Chu said.
According to the Yonhap News Agency, the US- South Korea annual joint drill, codenamed “Foal Eagle,” consists of 10,000 US troops, US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and 290,000 South Korean troops, and will continue until the end of April. In 2016 and 2015, North Korea also launched several missiles and rockets to retaliate for the “Foal Eagle” annual drills.