SEOUL: North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) off its east coast on Friday, South Korea’s military said, while wrapping up nearly two weeks of major drills aimed at deterring its neighbor.
The launch, at a time of growing fears that North Korea is readying for its first nuclear test since 2017, was the latest in a record year of tests, whether of short-range missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), or others.
The SRBMs were fired from the Tongcheon area of Gangwon province, on North Korea’s east coast, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, four days after the neighbors exchanged warning shots off the west coast amid rising tension.
“Our military is maintaining full readiness posture,” the JCS said in a statement, adding that it had stepped up monitoring and security while co-ordinating closely with the United States.
South Korean troops were set on Friday to finish the 12-day Hoguk 22 field exercises, which have included some drills with US troops, while South Korean and US aircraft are due to begin major drills on Monday.
North Korea has said its recent missile launches were in protest against the joint exercises, which it says are provocative and a rehearsal for an invasion.
South Korea and the United States say the exercises are defensive and needed to counter the North’s threats.
The United States and its allies believe the North could be about to resume nuclear bomb testing for the first time since 2017.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has said the North has completed all the technical preparations needed for an underground blast at its Punggye-ri test site, which has been officially shuttered since 2018.
North Korea held six nuclear tests there from 2006 to 2017.
A seventh North Korean nuclear test would be further “confirmation of a program which is moving full steam ahead in a way that is incredibly concerning,” the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said on Thursday.
South Korea has warned that a resumption of the North’s nuclear testing would have to be met with an “unparalleled” response from the allies, but neither it nor the United States has given details.
North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea
https://arab.news/8mm8m
North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea
- Launch at a time of growing fears that North Korea is readying for its first nuclear test since 2017
- North Korea held six nuclear tests there from 2006 to 2017
Trump says ‘my own morality’ is only restraint on global power
- On Thursday the Senate advanced a measure to rein in presidential military action in Venezuela
WASHINGTON, United States: US President Donald Trump said in an interview published Thursday that his “own morality” was the only constraint on his power to order military actions around the world.
Trump’s comments to The New York Times came days after he launched a lightning operation to topple Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, and threatened a host of other countries plus the autonomous territory Greenland.
“Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me,” Trump told the newspaper when asked if there were any limits on his global powers.
“I don’t need international law,” he added. “I’m not looking to hurt people.”
The Republican president then added that “I do” need to abide by international law, but said “it depends what your definition of international law is.”
The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which tries war criminals, and it has repeatedly rejected decisions by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s top court.
Trump himself has had his own run-ins with domestic law, having been impeached twice, faced a slew of federal charges including conspiring to overturn the 2020 election — which were eventually dropped after his re-election — and convicted for covering up a hush money payment to a porn star.
While proclaiming himself as “peace president” and seeking the Nobel Prize, Trump has launched a series of military operations in his second presidential term.
Trump ordered attacks on Iran’s nuclear program in June and in the past year has also overseen strikes on Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Yemen — and most recently on Venezuela.
Since Maduro’s capture, an emboldened Trump has threatened a string of other countries including Colombia, as well as Greenland, which is administered by fellow NATO member Denmark.
Asked whether his priority was preserving the NATO military alliance or acquiring Greenland, Trump told the Times: “it may be a choice.”
Some members of Congress, including a handful of Republicans, are trying to check Trump’s power.
On Thursday the Senate advanced a measure to rein in presidential military action in Venezuela. But even if it reaches his desk, Trump would likely veto it.
Billionaire Trump, who made his fortune as a property developer, added that US ownership of Greenland is “what I feel is psychologically needed for success.”
Trump said separately that he had no problem with his family conducting foreign business deals since his return to office.
“I prohibited them from doing business in my first term, and I got absolutely no credit for it,” Trump told the daily. “I found out that nobody cared, and I’m allowed to.”
