(PresidentialInsider.com)- While boasting of its nuclear weapons and advanced missile systems on Tuesday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry proudly proclaimed itself one of the few nations standing up to the United States by “shaking the world” with its missile tests.
North Korea has stepped up its ballistic missile tests in recent weeks, despite such actions being banned by the UN Security Council. In January, the NoKos conducted a record seven launches including a new type of hypersonic missile capable of maneuvering at high speed.
It also test-fired the Hwasong-15, the longest-range ICBM ever launched by North Korea that hasn’t been fired since its first test in 2017. It is suspected that the Hwasong-15 has the range necessary to deliver a nuclear warhead anywhere within the United States.
In its statement, the Foreign Ministry said January’s tests represented “remarkable achievements” in strengthening North Korea’s “war deterrence.” It also dismissed those countries that waste their time “with submission and blind obedience” to the United States and boasted that North Korea is the only “country on this planet that can shake the world by firing a missile” with a range that can hit the US mainland.
When asked to respond to Pyongyang’s saber-rattling boast, the US State Department repeated its previous assurances that the United States harbors no hostile intent toward North Korea and urged a return to dialogue.
But according to Jenny Town, the director of the Washington-based “38 North,” the fact that this statement was released by North Korea’s Foreign Ministry makes it less threatening than it sounds. Noting the passive language in the statement, Town said the foreign ministry isn’t saying they will fire a missile into the United States, only “that they can.”
On Monday, the US again called on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and refocus its priorities back to the needs of its people who are suffering from famine, food shortages, and starvation.
Meanwhile, one Washington think tank reported on Monday that it had identified a military base located close to North Korea’s border with China that is likely for positioning ICBMs.
