10 b
Strategic Vision vol. 8, no. 43 (November, 2019)
Dangerous Dance Pyongyang’s recent missile launches are aimed at destroying sanctions Robert McCoy
photo: Dan Scavino
A
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talk at the Capella Hotel during the 2018 Singapore Summit.
t the time of writing, North Korea has engaged in at least eight sets of launches since late July that are thought to be of the Songun Iskander short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), the 300 mm KN-09 guided rocket, a new super-large (perhaps 600 mm) rocket, and a version of the US Army’s Tactical Missile System. Despite US President Donald Trump’s professed lack of concern, the entirety of South Korea—an American ally that is host to 28,500 US troops and 7,700 American dependents—is within the 450-kilometer (275-mile) range of the Iskander missiles. Moreover, even though the KN-09 guid-
ed rockets cannot carry a nuclear payload, they can reach the northern areas of South Korea— notably the densely-populated greater Seoul metropolitan area—with up to a 190-kilogram (410-pound) payload. There has been conjecture as to why the North is only now testing these battlefield weapons. Assessments offered include the belief that the lull in denuclearization talks with the United States is the perfect time for testing of new weapons, and the contention that North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un is trying to bully South Korean President Moon Jae-in to break ties with Washington and engage in more inter-Ko-
Robert McCoy is a retired US Air Force Korean linguist and analyst who has been stationed in Asia for over 14 years.