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| North Korean SLBM launch (File Photo) |
by Tian Dongdong
BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Under the pressure of South Korea-U.S. military drill and the widely disputed THAAD deployment, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) reportedly fired a ballistic missile early Wednesday, sending a strong signal that Washington and its allies are risking turning the region into a powder keg.
If confirmed, the missile launch would be a new violation of UN resolutions. However, the fact that it came two days after the South Korea-U.S. drill simulating an all-out attack by the DPRK merits a closer look at its motivation.
Denounced as aggression and provocation by the DPRK, the two-week Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises will surely not make Seoul safer. Rather, it might compel Pyongyang to take even more reckless actions for the sake of its own security.
In fact, the United States and South Korea have been warned in advance by the north. Calling the South Korea-U.S. exercises the "most undisguised physical measure and provocative action," the DPRK has vowed to "foil all hostile acts and threat of aggression and provocation with the Korean-style nuclear deterrence."
Within that context, the launch could be regarded as a tit-for-tat move of Pyongyang.
Read the full story at Xinhua