South Korea maintains a substantial capacity to overwhelm any North Korean provocation. Yet, this latest naval missile test suggests that Pyongyang can threaten the South from multiple points of origin if it thinks an existential threat is looming. The US and South Korea will remain steadfast to the North Korean threat and work tirelessly to preserve peace in the peninsula.
North Korea, like any other nation, has a right to conduct military tests. It's the United States, not North Korea, that's escalating tensions in the region, as these hegemonic actors try to isolate Pyongyang from the world and pressure other nations to follow their lead. A massive and ever-expanding military exercise on the doorstep of North Korea is proof enough of the disrespect the country faces from the West.