In April, Washington said that one of its nuclear-armed ballistic submarines would visit a South Korean port for the first time in decades without specifying a date.

South Korea and the United States are set to start their major annual joint military exercises next month.

North Korea regards all such exercises as rehearsals for an invasion and has described them as “frantic” drills “simulating an all-out war against” Pyongyang.

Experts believe the U.S. moves to reinforce of its military presence on the Korean Peninsula have little to do with missile testing, but rather these attempts to establish an Asia Pacific NATO.

The U.S. is feeling very nervous about much of the world rejecting a unipolar world dominated by Washington.

The establishment of AUKUS and sending a nuclear-armed submarine goes along that objective.

Diplomacy has stalled. North Korea has not accepted the terms that the U.S. has put on the table?, which former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton has described as the “Libya Model”.
This is styled in a way that North Korea gives up all its military arsenal in return for some sanctions relief.

What happened to Libya? 

Libya gave up everything, and NATO still went in and destroyed the country whilst killing their leader. What North Koreans officials have said is that it won’t follow that route because if Pyongyang does, the U.S.-led military alliance will destroy it.

The problem for the U.S. is that there is not much more it can do. It can’t strike North Korea or start a war, as the U.S. is already overstretched in Ukraine and elsewhere.

There is a level of delusion coming out of Washington that it has the sole right to dictate to every country on the planet.

As a result, tensions are rising. The U.S. and South Korea have increased their military cooperation. The danger is that more military provocations by the U.S. will increase the possibility of a military conflict, that would oblige all NATO members to take part in.

Pyongyang may test another ICBM, but for that to be considered as a major threat in comparison to the deployment of the U.S. and NATO military all over the world is very much out of proportion.

The UN Security Council has met to discuss Pyongyang’s ICBM launch.

The launch of an ICBM was an exercise of the right to self-defense “to deter dangerous military moves of hostile forces and safeguard the security of our state,” the North Korea’s UN envoy told the session.

North Korea Ambassador to the UN, Kim Song, said, “Our test to fire a new type of ICBM has no negative effect on the security of a neighboring country. Japan announced that our ICBM landed outside its exclusive economic zone and it is tantamount to Japan’s acknowledgment, there is no risk posed to its security.”

The ambassador pointed out “our test to fire of a new type ICBM, the Hwasong-18, is a warrant to the exercise of the right to self-defense, to deter dangerous military moves of hostile forces and safeguard security of our state and peace in the region without fear.”

He also condemned the convening of the Security Council meeting, saying it violates the UN charter on self-defense.

North Korea has also accused the U.S. of flying a spy plane into its airspace. The U.S. has “intensified espionage activities beyond the wartime level” with “provocative” spy plane flights, Pyongyang said. “There is no guarantee that such shocking accident as downing of the US Air Force strategic reconnaissance plane will not happen in the East Sea of Korea,” a North Korean defense spokesperson said.

Kim Song told the Security Council that the “military provocation by the United States and its followers against the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) are growing as never before, and consequently, the military security pattern in the Korean Peninsula is reaching the face of the nuclear crisis beyond the Cold War era.”

The Deputy Russian Ambassador to the UN, Anna Evstigneeva, noted that “Russia has consistently opposed any military activity which would threaten the security of the Korean Peninsula and the countries of Northeast Asia.”

She highlighted that “this meeting was convened by the United States, Albania, France, Japan, Malta and the United Kingdom regarding a missile launch. But we must once again draw attention to the actions of the U.S., the Republic of Korea and Japan, who, as part of their concept of so-called extended deterrence, continue to increase the scale of their regional exercises and their military cooperation.”

Meanwhile, China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Zhang Ju, told the session that Beijing’s position on the Korean Peninsula is quite clear.

Zhang said, “We are committed to the denuclearization of the peninsula, maintaining the peace and stability on the peninsula and the political settlement of the issue through dialogue. The current situation in the Korean Peninsula continues to be tense and is getting ever more confrontational, which is not what China wishes to see. China has taken note of the DPRK recent launch.”

China’s Representative warned, “The Cold War has long since ended, but the specter of the Cold War mentality lingers. It has not only rendered the peninsula issue intractable, but also intensified and antagonism and conflict around the world.”

Zhang further denounced NATO’s ongoing Cold War mentality, saying, “To this day, NATO, as a product of the Cold War, has been mired in this specter to extricate itself. The communique issued by the recent NATO summit in Vilnius was as long-winded as it was harping the same old tunes filled with Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices. The communique disregards basic facts and makes far-fetched, irrelevant, and unwarranted attacks and accusations against China. China firmly rejects these utterly hypocritical recriminations.”

He added that “China does not cause trouble, nor does it fear trouble.” The diplomat warned “we stand ready to respond firmly and forcefully to any acts that violate China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, undermine China’s development and security interests, and breach the peace and stability in China’s neighborhood.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the successful test of the country’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile, state media reported.

The launch came days after Pyongyang threatened to down any U.S. spy planes entering its airspace.

According to North Korean media, leader Kim has vowed stronger military launches and military advancements until the U.S. and South Korea changed their policies towards North Korea.
Citing the “unstable situation” on the peninsula, Kim has also been cited as calling for “more intense efforts” to boost North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.

Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong also slammed the U.S. airspace violations, and warned that North Korea would take “decisive action” if its maritime military demarcation line was crossed.
The U.S. reluctance to lift all sanctions on North Korea, which has left millions of North Koreans suffering, withdrawing its heavy military presence from the region in exchange for North Korea’s denuclearization is just one simple solution.
The U.S. doesn’t appear to be interested in simple solutions.

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The North recently set up around 20 loudspeakers in border areas after threatening to take military action against what it called “the enemy” in anger over Seoul’s failure to stop defectors from sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border.

“Around 10 newly installed loudspeakers near Cheorwon in North Korea were removing from earlier today,” a military source said, Yonhap news agency reported.

The move came after the communist country decided to suspend military action against South Korea during a Central Military Commission meeting presided over by leader Kim, according to the North’s Korean Central News Agency.

“We are closely monitoring North Korean military moves while maintaining a firm readiness posture,” an official of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, noting that the suspension decision was made during the “preliminary” meeting.

Last week, the North blew up the inter-Korean liaison office in its border town of Kaesong in a dramatic expression of anger at the South. The North then warned of a series of military actions, such as the forward deployment of its troops to Kaesong and the Mount Kumgang tourist area on the east coast and opening border areas for scattering anti-South leaflets.

In 2018, South and North Korea dismantled around 40 loudspeakers each from their border regions, as they agreed to halt all hostile acts against each other and eliminate their means, including broadcasting through loudspeakers and the distribution of leaflets, in accordance with the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration signed by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim.

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On the other hand, Trump administration starting from 2017 considered all the possibilities of diplomatic strategies including a preemptive military strike, to maximize the sanctions on North Korea. Through these measures, the Trump administration brought the North Korean government to a negotiating table in the hopes of denuclearizing North Korea. Iran News quotes the story of Korean legacy.

Amidst the tension, Moon administration in South Korea starting from 2017 consistently delivered the messages of reconciliation and collaboration to North Korea. In 2018, Kim expressed its will in New Year’s congratulatory messages to improve the North-South Korea relationship and participate at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games, bringing two Koreas into the new phases of diplomatic relationship. Afterward, North and South Korean governments held three meetings, which also led the heads of North Korea and the United States to hold the Summit for the first time in its history. The whole world paid its close attention to the four Summits held within 6 months.

Especially the North and South Korean Summit on April 27^th marked the historical event where the North Korean leader come down to South for the first time. At that moment, the candid conversation between President Moon and Kim was broadcasted worldwide, leaving the deep impression onto people.

The movement of peace rose quickly in the Korean peninsula which was left at a ceasefire for 70 years, bringing many achievements. Such events also changed the perceptions of people toward Korean reunification.

Changing the Perceptions of South Korean Citizens

While the world was concerned with North Korea’s nuclear missile threats, people in South Korea were interested in bringing reunification to cherish their shared heritages and ethnic identities. And yet, North Korea remained closed and off-limits for the most part, which left uncertainties to the hope of fulfilling reunification. What was discussed during the North-South Korea Summits and U.S-North Korea Summit had great impacts on bringing new perspectives into North Korea. There have been significant changes in how South Korean citizens view North Korea, as shown in the statistical data below.

As seen in the data, South Korean citizens began to see North Korea more as a collaborative ally rather than a hostile enemy. Particularly noteworthy is that less people in all ages see North Korea as hostile enemies. This significant change in people’s perceptions toward North Korea can be attributed to three North and South Korea Summits, spreading the peaceful atmosphere throughout the Korean peninsula. In 2017, several threats from nuclear missile tests by North Korea heightened the tensions and brought two countries at the brink of war. In 2018, tensions between North and South Korea quickly eased when the North Korean athletes participated at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games.

For the first time, the number of people who answered positively on the reliability of the North Korean government exceeded that of people who answered negative on the reliability of North Korean Regime statistical data. That number increased dramatically between 2017 and 2018. This increase can be attributed to the will and measures the North Korean regime has taken toward denuclearization after actively exchanging the conversations at the North and South Korea Summits.

The number of people who answered positively to see the changes in North Korea in the immediate future, not only surpassed that of people who answered negative, after 10 years, but also marked the highest number of people. Tourists’ commentaries on the recent development and trends in Pyeongyang quickly spread worldwide via social media, which played a significant role in bringing such change in the perceptions. People are now more informed of usages of smartphones as well as fashion trends in North Korea. In contrast to the previous North Korean leaders who were often portrayed as reclusive, Kim’s striking movement also greatly impacted on the South Korean citizens’ perceptions of North Korea.

There are many hurdles to overcome in order to bring two Korean countries into the reunification. As seen in the cases of German reunifications, many social, cultural, and economic aspects must be considered in prior, as two countries have changed a lot since they were separated 70 years ago. However, the North and South Korea Summit in 2018 has greatly changed people’s perceptions, the most important strides toward reunification. The world is paying closer attention to see how these changes will lead to more Summits and Korean reunification.

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