Article: https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3213324/north-korea-fires-submarine-missiles-response-huge-us-south-korea-military-drills
This past Monday, North Korea released two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine as a test fire. This was in retaliation to South Korea and America conducting joint military drills and operations, and a revamping of military operations in general. The largest joint efforts in five years, this effort is known as Freedom Shield. The operation is focused on defensive wartime procedures. The two missiles North Korea fired landed in the East Korean Sea. Under current UN sanctions, North Korea is prohibited from firing nuclear missiles, even to test, but not from firing cruise missiles. A video has been released from North Korea of the missiles being fired, although there is still doubt over how advanced the North Korean missile program truly is. Park Won-Gon, a professor at the Ewha University of Seoul, says that any sort of operation conducted by anyone at the border is seen as threat of invasion. And Chun Il-Bum, a former South Korean General, says to expect more missiles and acts of intimidation.
I’m not surprised, nor too concerned about this. While this incident can definitely escalate, North Korea has been doing similar things over the past decades. And I don’t expect it to stop. And the article mentions that this is the largest operation in five years, meaning similar military operations have been conducted in the recent past, so. Nothing to be worried about too much, although the missiles actually landing on the South Korean coastline is new.
This article is related to class because not only is this a recent event, but majority of nations involved are in my assigned region. That, and we are American, and America is an aspect of this article.