In a significant escalation, North Korea launched what are suspected to be ballistic missiles, marking its first military test this year. This swift military action came just one day after the United States announced the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, an operation that sparked widespread international reactions and cast a shadow over the global geopolitical landscape.
Launch details and missile range
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that its military detected the launch of several projectiles from the vicinity of Pyongyang toward the East Sea (Sea of Japan) at approximately 7:50 a.m. local time on Sunday. Initial reports indicate that these projectiles were short- to medium-range ballistic missiles.
For its part, the Japanese Ministry of Defense provided detailed information about the ballistic trajectory, confirming the detection of two missiles that reached an altitude of 50 kilometers. The first missile traveled an estimated 900 kilometers, while the second flew 950 kilometers before landing in the sea. This range is sufficient to cover all of South Korea and large parts of Japan, theoretically placing US military bases in the region within range.
Geopolitical linkage: Venezuela as a catalyst
Political analysts directly link the timing of this launch to the US military operation in Venezuela. The arrest of a head of state and his transfer to the United States to face charges sends alarming signals to regimes that Washington considers hostile. In this context, Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, stated that Pyongyang is under immense pressure, and that the implicit message of the missiles is that “North Korea is not Venezuela, and its possession of a nuclear deterrent makes a regime change by force impossible.”.
Historically, North Korea has justified its nuclear and missile programs as necessary to protect itself from “American aggression,” citing the fate of countries that abandoned their weapons programs or lacked sufficient deterrent capabilities. The arrest of Maduro reinforces this narrative for the North Korean leadership, prompting it to flex its military muscle to demonstrate its combat readiness.
Diplomatic moves and arsenal development
This escalation coincided with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's preparations to travel to China for a summit with President Xi Jinping. Beijing plays a pivotal role in the Korean issue, and Seoul hopes to leverage Chinese influence to de-escalate tensions and rein in Pyongyang's military buildup.
Domestically, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues his policy of bolstering military capabilities. He has recently intensified his field visits to weapons factories, ordered a 250% increase in the production of tactical missiles, and overseen strategic projects such as nuclear-powered submarines. These moves demonstrate that Pyongyang is not only developing deterrent weapons but is also building a diverse offensive arsenal capable of maneuvering and delivering precision strikes, further complicating security calculations in Northeast Asia.
