North Korea recently intensified its rhetoric against the Quad security alliance summit held in the U.S., which includes the United States, Japan, Australia, and India, alongside criticizing the docking of the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine USS Vermont in Busan. According to analysts, North Korea’s sharp statements and recent activities, including the deployment of balloons and ballistic missiles, are strategically aimed at boosting its international profile before the U.S. presidential election. This is seen as a setup for potential major provocations, potentially including a seventh nuclear test or an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch.
On Thursday, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson lambasted the Wilmington Declaration, which the Quad nations ratified after their recent summit. North Korea described the declaration as a violation of its sovereignty and development rights, accusing it of bearing “the most hostile confrontational intentions.”
The leaders of the four Quad nations adopted the Wilmington Declaration after their summit on September 21, condemning North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and repeated ballistic missile launches, reaffirming their commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
In response, North Korea denounced the Quad as a mere extension of U.S. strategies for maintaining unilateral global dominance. It criticized the U.S. for allegedly converting the alliance into a pseudo-international maritime police force, ostensibly to promote freedom of navigation but effectively serving as a component of Washington’s broader Indo-Pacific strategy.
Kim Yo Jong, a deputy director of the Workers’ Party of Korea, strongly disapproved of the USS Vermont’s presence in Busan, describing it as a blatant demonstration of the U.S.’s “insane military strategic intentions” on the global stage. She emphasized the necessity for North Korea to enhance its nuclear deterrent capabilities “qualitatively, continuously, and without limits” in response to external threats.
This recent display of military readiness was accompanied by the reveal of a new 12-axle transporter erector launcher (TEL), likely designed to launch a new type of ICBM, highlighting North Korea’s ongoing enhancements to its nuclear and missile capabilities. With the U.S. presidential election approaching, the likelihood of North Korea conducting a nuclear test appears to be increasing, as analysts suggest that Pyongyang is deliberately escalating provocations to justify such actions.
Yang Moo Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, noted that the backlash against the USS Vermont’s arrival is a strategic move by North Korea to bolster its stance. He also speculated that North Korea might soon conduct its seventh nuclear test and launch an upgraded ICBM, positioning itself strategically for nuclear disarmament negotiations with the upcoming U.S. administration.
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