North Korea, new missile tests: a challenge to the US and an alliance with Russia
According to the US federal agency, TraderTraitor – a group of hackers working for the regime led by Kim Jong Un – is believed to be behind last week’s high-profile theft of $6.34 billion worth of cryptocurrencies from Binance
from our correspondent Marco Masciaga
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NEW DELHI – For the fourth time in the space of a month, North Korea carried out a series of missile tests today, 4 November, in what could be either a message to the United States or the prelude to a new phase in its relations with Russia.
The first theory is based on a well-established practice of the North Korean regime, namely staging shows of force whenever its main adversaries – South Korea or, as in this case, the United States – go to the polls. A second explanation, also linked to the strained relations with Washington, sees today’s tests as a response to the accusations made in recent days by the US FBI.
According to the US federal agency, TraderTraitor – a group of hackers in the pay of the regime led by Kim Jong Un – is believed to be behind last week’s sensational theft of $6.34 billion worth of cryptocurrencies from Binance. This accusation was once again rejected today – just before the launch of missiles into the Sea of Japan – by the sister of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, who described it as ‘an extension of Washington’s unchanging hostile policy’ towards Pyongyang.
“Our position,” Kim’s sister continued, “is clear: we have no need whatsoever to sit face to face with such untrustworthy and hostile people. The choice of peace certainly involves dialogue, but this does not necessarily coincide with our country’s national interests.” This reference to face-to-face meetings and dialogue appears to significantly reduce the likelihood that Kim will meet the US President on 18 and 19 November at the APEC summit in Shenzhen.
The theory linking today’s launches to Russia, on the other hand, stems from the intensity and frequency with which the North Korean regime has been testing its missiles in recent weeks. As Lee Choon-geun, an expert at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, explains, ‘before moving on to mass production and the export of missiles, it is necessary to carry out a large number of tests’.
