North Korea’s use of a nuclear weapon “will” result in the end of Kim Jong Un’s regime, the United States and South Korea warned in a joint statement from the defense leaders of the allied nations.
Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup met with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on Thursday, and they released a joint communique following the meeting. Their meeting came hours after the North conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test, in addition to a couple of other missile tests. The day prior, the North Korean military launched roughly two dozen missiles in an unprecedented barrage.
NORTH KOREA UNSUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES SUSPECTED ICBM TEST AND TWO OTHERS
“The secretary and minister strongly condemned the DPRK’s escalatory activities and violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, including ballistic missile test launches, multiple rocket launches, and firing of coastal artillery and called upon the international community to hold the DPRK responsible for its actions,” the communique said. “Both sides also expressed concern that the DPRK’s ongoing efforts to develop nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, as well as its escalatory rhetoric regarding the use of tactical nuclear weapons, and its proliferation activities.”
The two leaders decided to extend the joint military exercises dubbed Operation Vigilant Storm to “further bolster our readiness and interoperability,” Austin explained. He also called the missile tests “destabilizing to the region” and called on Pyongyang to “cease that type of activity and to begin to engage in serious dialogue.”
“Secretary Austin reiterated the firm U.S. commitment to providing extended deterrence to the ROK utilizing the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including nuclear, conventional, and missile defense capabilities and advanced non-nuclear capabilities,” the communique continued. “He noted that any nuclear attack against the United States or its Allies and partners, including the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, is unacceptable and will result in the end of the Kim regime.”
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South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the ICBM was fired around 7:40 a.m. local time from close to Pyongyang’s Sunan area. It traveled roughly 475 miles, reaching an altitude of nearly 1,200 miles. The missile, a Hwasong-17, failed during its second stage separation, though it appeared to have failed in normal flight, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
The tension on the Korean Peninsula has risen steadily this year as Kim has continued to pursue advancements to his nuclear program, in addition to using threatening rhetoric toward the U.S. and the West.
