North Korea issues strong statement against ‘the enemy’, says it will use Pacific as ‘firing range’ if…

On February 20, the military of South Korea reported that North Korea had launched two ballistic missiles off its east coast. The launch took place just two days after North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the ocean off the west coast of Japan in what it described as a "sudden launching drill".

Soon after 2200 GMT, according to Japan's Coast Guard, North Korea fired three possible ballistic missile-like projectiles, all of which were intercepted within a short period of time. According to NHK, all three of them touched down outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). In reaction to the North's ICBM launch, the United States conducted bilateral joint air exercises with Japan and South Korea.

This was Pyongyang’s third major weapons test in 2023 after the North had threatened an unprecedentedly-persistent and forceful response as South Korea and the US prepared for their annual military drills in an effort to counter the North's rising nuclear and missile threat.

In the meantime, Kim Yo Jong - the sister of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un - released a statement warning against a greater deployment of American strategic assets on the Korean peninsula.

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"We are carefully examining the influence it would exert on the security of our state," she said. "The frequency of using the Pacific as our firing range depends upon the US. forces' action character."

North Korea, according to Kim Yo Jong, has adequate missile technology and capacity and will now concentrate on building up the size of their force.

"I warn that we will watch every movement of the enemy and take corresponding and very powerful and overwhelming counteractions against every move hostile to us," she said.

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In response to criticism that the "sudden" missile launch, which followed a command from leader Kim, took place over nine hours later than anticipated, she also disputed experts' assessments of its missile capabilities and claimed that South Korea didn't even have any reconnaissance aircraft flying at the time of the launch.

They would argue that they were watching with tight collaboration between intelligence authorities of South Korea and the US, and that is why their scout planes weren't flying at the time, she added.

(With agency inputs)