North Korea warns of ‘strategic military action’…targets US forces in Guam and South Korea.

Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, supervising a solid fuel engine test in December last year (archive photo) ⓒKorean Central News Agency

As U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin wraps up his visit to South Korea, North Korea suggests the possibility of a countermeasure, stating that the U.S. and its followers are responsible for the worsening situation.

Given North Korea’s recent announcement of a successful solid fuel engine test, there are speculations that it could engage in related provocations.

A spokesperson for North Korea’s Ministry of National Defense stated in a speech released through the state-run Korean Central News Agency on the 16th, “The recent actions of U.S. military officials in South Korea from the 12th to 14th clearly show that the U.S. and its followers are the culprits causing the escalation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula.”

This is a defiant response to the U.S. and South Korea’s measures to counter the advanced North Korean nuclear and missile threats, such as revising the ‘tailored deterrence strategy’ for the first time in ten years, which North Korea has interpreted as “intended for military invasion.”

The Ministry of National Defense spokesperson also argued, “Despite the military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula exceeding dangerous limits, the fact that military conflict has not occurred is entirely due to the powerful counter-measures of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea against the military movements of the U.S. and its followers.”

While the U.S. and South Korea are focusing on strengthening deterrence to prevent North Korea’s miscalculation, which has even enacted laws to enable nuclear use at any time, North Korea, on the contrary, has expressed the view that they are deterring the U.S. and South Korea.

The Ministry of National Defense spokesperson specifically stated, “We will strongly control and manage all threats to the national security interests through more offensive and overwhelming response capabilities and visible strategic deterrence military actions to deal with the new security instability and evolving military threats from the U.S. and its allied forces.”

The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on the 15th that the Missile General Bureau conducted a test of a new medium-range ballistic missile solid fuel engine. ⓒKorean Central News Agency

North Korean major media outlets previously reported that they are developing a solid fuel engine for a new medium-range ballistic missile. They explained that they conducted ground thrust tests of the first and second stage engines on the 11th and 14th, respectively.

North Korea stated, “We have secured a solid guarantee that we can reliably complete the development of a new medium-range ballistic missile weapon system,” and “It is an essential process to further enhance the strategic attack power of the Republic’s military.”

Given that North Korea has emphasized the ‘strategic nature’ of the medium-range ballistic missile for two consecutive days, it is speculated that they are hinting at a new weapons provocation targeting the U.S.

Lee Sung-jun, head of the public affairs office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a regular briefing at the Ministry of National Defense, “Recently, North Korea has been developing a new type of solid-fueled short-range ballistic missile and Hwasong-18 type intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which can shorten the launch preparation time and is advantageous for operational use. This is the first stage of activities to expand the development to new medium-range solid-fuel ballistic missiles.”

North Korea, which has been focusing on enhancing missile survivability, is interpreted as developing various solid engine missiles that do not require fuel injection time to hinder the U.S. and South Korea’s pre-emptive strike and interception capabilities. Unlike liquid engines, which require fuel injection for up to several days, solid engines are detachable, allowing for quick and covert launches.

Considering the range of a medium-range ballistic missile equipped with a solid engine, Mr. Lee said, “We judge it as a measure to secure the ability to strike, including Guam, in case of a similar situation, to cut off support for the Korean Peninsula by UN forces, U.S. forces in Japan, U.S. reinforcement forces, and UN forces.”

He added, “There is a high possibility that they will continue with actual test launches in the future.”