POBNEWS24, Dhaka Jan 31,2022: North Korea test-fired seven missiles in January. The country has never conducted such a test in a month since 2019. It is not uncommon for such frequent missile tests to take place. Ankit Panda, an expert at the research institute Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said North Korea usually conducts such tests to enhance its missile strike capability and maintain operational readiness.
Recent tests have shown this.
At the same time, North Korea is in an economic crisis, said Panda. So even at this point, Kim Jong-un may want to send a message, not by reducing tests but by increasing them, that no matter how difficult it may be, they will not deviate from national defense priorities.
North Korea has always had food shortages. Besides, the economic condition of the country is also shaky. Self-imposed blockades to combat the Kavid infection are also responsible for this economic crisis. North Korea has also temporarily suspended trade with its main ally China.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has recently acknowledged that his country is facing a “great life-and-death battle.” Even then, he vowed to increase military power, including building hypersonic (faster than sound) missiles.
Talks on barring North Korea from pursuing a nuclear weapons program have stalled since US President Joe Biden took office. The Biden administration imposed its first sanctions on North Korea last week in response to several previous missile tests this month.
North Korea then launched a missile last Monday. The launch may have been prompted by a “strong response” to the ban, said Park On-Gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Yuha Women’s University. He says North Korea may want to show that it has no intention of compromising with the United States.
Is the test due to China?
The missiles were launched ahead of the start of the Winter Olympics in China. This Winter Olympics is a very prestigious and politically sensitive event for China. It is scheduled to start on February 4 in Beijing.
Chad O’Carroll, a North Korea analyst, said on Twitter: “I don’t think China will welcome North Korea’s tests before the start of the Beijing Olympics. If such launches continue, however, we should not rule out the possibility that for some reason North Korea is upset with China. ‘
Another North Korean expert, Leif-Erik Izli, said in a recent media report that North Korea could resume trade with China soon. At the time, it was thought that Beijing was involved in provoking Pyongyang. China may be providing economic assistance to North Korea as well as coordinating military issues. Source: BBC
