South Korea’s leader yesterday warned that the peninsula could slide back into a “state of crisis” if Pyongyang follows through on threats to resume testing long-range missiles.
Pyongyang conducted an unprecedented seven weapons tests last month, including of its most powerful missile since 2017 when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un baited then-US president Donald Trump with a spate of provocative launches.
High profile negotiations between Trump and Kim followed, but collapsed in 2019 and have languished as Pyongyang has doubled down on military development, warning last month that it could abandon a self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile and nuclear weapons tests.
Photo: Reuters
In a written interview with international news agencies, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that any move by North Korea to restart long-range missile tests would wipe out years of effort and peace talks.
“If North Korea’s series of missile launches goes as far as scrapping a moratorium on long-range missile tests, the Korean Peninsula may instantly fall back into the state of crisis we faced five years ago,” he said.
Moon, who repeatedly pursued peace talks with North Korea during his five-year term, is set to leave office in May. South Korea only permits presidents to serve a single term in power.
The country is to elect his successor on March 9.
Despite the lack of progress in nuclear talks, “necessary communication” between Moon and Kim has continued, the South Korean president said.
Meanwhile, satellite photographs showed hundreds of people in formation at a training ground in North Korea’s capital in a possible sign the country is preparing for a military parade amid heightened animosities over its missile tests.
The 38 North Web site, which specializes in North Korea studies, on Wednesday said that the Feb. 5 imagery taken on the Mirim airfield in Pyongyang — where rehearsals for past military parades occurred — likely signals a forthcoming parade.
NK News, another Web site that monitors North Korea, also reported that there have been signs of increased preparations for a military parade in Pyongyang in the past few weeks. It cited unidentified informed sources on the ground and satellite imagery.
North Korea often marks important anniversaries with parades and other displays.
Additional reporting by AP
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