Kim Jong Un orders ramped up military readiness after going missing for a month
FOX NewsDec 23, 2022
The Facts
Top North Korean army officials have said they will expand and intensify military drills to ensure war readiness, state media reported Tuesday ahead of a military anniversary.
North Korea’s declaration reportedly came at a meeting Monday overseen by leader Kim Jong-un and followed last week's joint air drills by South Korea and the US.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Joint drills between the US and South Korea won't be stopped just because North Korea throws a fit. The US is steadfast in its commitment to defending South Korea, and Kim's threats of military action — and increasingly worrisome nuclear tests — are unacceptable. The US and South Korea are rightly committed to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Establishment-critical narrative
Although the joint military drills are being portrayed as a defensive response to alleged North Korean military threats, they need to be called out for what they really are – large-scale provocations. Rather than trying to de-escalate the situation with North Korea, the US has once again deliberately inflamed tensions in the region.