North Korea Conducts another Missile Test, South Korea and Japan on Alert

North Korea has rejected a resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) criticizing its nuclear weapons program, declaring that its status as a nuclear power is irreversible. According to Reuters, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused the IAEA of applying double standards.  She said the agency was ignoring the nuclear activities of the United States and South Korea while passing a resolution against North Korea’s nuclear activities. Kim Yo Jong also referred to South Korea’s plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, describing them as part of an unfair policy directed against North Korea.

North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also rejected the IAEA resolution, saying that the country’s nuclear capabilities and defensive capacity are now irreversible and backed by nuclear deterrence.  Meanwhile, according to North Korean state media, Kim Jong Un spent three days this week visiting major arms factories and called for the modernization of various areas of the country’s defense capabilities.  According to analysts, North Korea has been seeking to further modernize its military capabilities following a defense agreement with Russia last year. Cooperation with Russia, as well as the combat experience gained by North Korean troops participating in the war in Ukraine, is also considered part of this process.  Kim Jong Un also addressed a training session for propaganda workers in Pyongyang, where he called for more creative and aggressive methods to conduct modern ideological warfare.