North Korea "Missile Launch Hits Target"...Foreign Media Say It Means No Return to Negotiations

[Asia Economy Reporters Inho Yoo and Jieun Lee] North Korea conducted a test launch of a hypersonic missile without the presence of Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Analysts suggest that North Korea has made it clear that it will not engage in inter-Korean or North Korea-US talks for the time being, as it demonstrated military provocations from the very beginning of the new year.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on the 6th, "The National Defense Science Institute conducted a hypersonic missile test launch on January 5," adding, "After launch, the missile separated and performed a lateral maneuver of 120 km from the initial launch azimuth to the target azimuth during the flight phase of the hypersonic glide vehicle, hitting the target set at 700 km without error."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Senior officials from the Central Committee's Military Industry Department and the National Defense Science sector observed the test launch, but General Secretary Kim did not attend.

However, the report stated, "The Party Central Committee expressed great satisfaction with the test launch results and sent enthusiastic congratulations to the relevant National Defense Science research sector."

This implies that although Kim Jong-un, the Party Central Committee leader, did not attend the test site, the test launch was conducted under his leadership, with him receiving the results in Pyongyang.

Foreign media analyzed this as a signal that North Korea has no intention of returning to negotiations anytime soon. The Associated Press (AP) reported on the 5th (local time) about North Korea's ballistic missile launch, describing it as "the first weapons launch in over two months and a signal that North Korea is not interested in rejoining denuclearization talks soon but rather focusing on weapons enhancement."

In diplomatic circles, there are forecasts that North Korea will further strengthen its hardline strategy, such as developing new weapons, instead of engaging in dialogue.

Professor Kim Dong-yeop of the Graduate School of North Korean Studies said, "This completely dispelled the optimistic views surrounding North Korea's year-end plenary session announcements. It showed a determination to continue developing new weapons without considering changes in the Biden administration's North Korea policy, making it even less likely to consider inter-Korean or North Korea-US talks."

Jung Sung-jang, director of the North Korea Research Center at the Sejong Institute, stated, "North Korea is likely to focus on economic recovery this year while continuously conducting missile test launches to strengthen its defense capabilities according to a fixed schedule and preparation status, without considering reactions from the US or South Korea."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.