These new moves are "adding fuel to the fire."

The situation on the Korean Peninsula has heated up again as Pyongyang, Seoul, and Washington all adopt new approaches to deter each other.

Images released by North Korea show the missile launch on April 2nd.

Developing weapons using solid fuels.

On June 26, the South Korean military announced that a suspected North Korean-launched hypersonic missile had exploded. This is a new development as North Korea is vehemently protesting the US deployment of an aircraft carrier to the region for trilateral military exercises with South Korea and Japan.

In a statement, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said North Korea launched a ballistic missile at around 5:30 a.m. on June 26 from a launch site near the capital Pyongyang toward the sea off the east coast of North Korea.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the missile exploded over the sea east of the Korean Peninsula after flying approximately 250km. The JCS suspects the weapon was a solid-fuel hypersonic missile. They stated that the June 26 launch emitted a larger amount of smoke than typical launches, possibly due to engine failure.

The U.S. Indo- Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said it condemned the North Korean launch, even though the incident did not pose a direct threat to U.S. territory or its allies.

In addition, INDOPACOM stressed that the U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan "remains steadfast."

On the morning of June 26, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced that it had also detected a suspected ballistic missile launch by North Korea.

For its part, North Korean state media reported on June 27 that the country had successfully conducted a missile test to ensure its ability to carry multiple warheads.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), in a test conducted on June 26, the North Korean Missile Administration successfully tested the control of separating and guiding individual mobile warheads.

KCNA asserted that the test was significant in achieving the "goal of rapidly developing missile technologies."

Since 2021, North Korea has conducted a series of hypersonic missile tests in a clear effort to penetrate the missile defense shields of its adversaries.

Nevertheless, foreign experts remain skeptical about whether hypersonic weapons can achieve the speed and maneuverability that the country desires in its tests.

In recent years, North Korea has been striving to develop more solid-fuel weapons, a technology that makes launches harder to detect than liquid-fuel missiles, which require refueling before launch.

The "world's strongest alliance," why?

Also on June 26, South Korean forces on the frontline islands fired 290 artillery shells and missiles into the sea near the western maritime border between the two Koreas. The South Korean Marine Corps said it would regularly conduct live-fire exercises in the area.

In fact, these activities are prohibited under the 2018 de-escalation agreement with North Korea, which requires both countries to cease all hostile actions along their land and sea borders.

However, the agreement has been in danger of collapsing in recent months, with the two Koreas exchanging fire near the maritime border in January and numerous violations occurring.

On the evening of June 26, South Korea conducted live-fire exercises along its disputed western border with North Korea, the first such exercise since suspending the 2018 agreement aimed at easing frontline military tensions earlier this month.

Earlier, on June 22, the US aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt docked in South Korea, an event that North Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang-il criticized as "reckless" and "dangerous." North Korea has consistently strongly opposed large-scale military exercises between the US and South Korea, responding with missile tests.

On June 25, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the USS Theodore Roosevelt, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to visit a US aircraft carrier since 1994.

Speaking to U.S. and South Korean forces aboard the aircraft carrier, President Yoon Suk Yeol said the alliance between the two countries is "the strongest in the world" and can defeat any enemy.

He stated that the US aircraft carrier began participating in the "Freedom Shield" exercise between South Korea, the US, and Japan on June 26th, aimed at enhancing coordinated operational capabilities in the air, at sea, and in cyberspace.

In addition, Seoul officials stated that the trilateral exercise aims to enhance the three countries' ability to respond to North Korea's growing nuclear threats at a time when North Korea is fostering a military partnership with Russia.

The U.S. and its partners believe that North Korea supplied Russia with much-needed conventional weapons for the conflict in Ukraine in exchange for military and economic support.

The recent missile launch, believed to be from North Korea, was the first weapons display since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of missiles from multiple rocket launchers on May 30 to simulate a preemptive strike on South Korea.

The test took place just days after North Korea's attempt to put a second spy satellite into orbit failed when the rocket carrying it exploded in mid-air shortly after launch.

Since 2022, North Korea has accelerated its weapons testing pace to enhance its nuclear strike capabilities in response to what it calls the growing military threat from the United States. Foreign experts believe North Korea wants to use its expanding nuclear arsenal to gain greater concessions from the U.S. once diplomatic efforts resume.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tinh-hinh-ban-dao-trieu-tien-nhung-nuoc-co-moi-them-dau-vao-lua-276531.html