N. Korea Warns Against US-S. Korea Drills

Image copyright: Reuters [via Daily Mail]

The Facts

  • North Korea on Friday issued a warning through its state-run KCNA news agency that the US and South Korea will face "unprecedentedly persistent and strong counteractions" if their planned joint military exercises go ahead.

  • This suggests North Korea's weapons tests, which have been suspended since it fired a short-range missile on New Year's Day, could resume. Pyongyang launched more than 70 missiles in 2022, a record for a single year.


The Spin

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.

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.


Metaculus Prediction


Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO

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