North Korea resumes missile tests, raising tensions with rivals
NBCMAR 2024
NKorea Tests Ballistic Missiles as Blinken Visits Seoul
Image copyright: Chung Sung-Jung/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Democratic allies of Eastern Asia have conducted non-provocative military drills in the region due to the North's decision to physically threaten its southern neighbor and Japan. Instead of engaging in diplomacy — an example of which is the current Democracy Summit in Seoul — Kim Jong Un has chosen to launch missiles into Japan's backyard. Not only is Kim's rhetoric inflammatory, but his actions are outright life-threatening.
Establishment-critical narrative
Those who believe Kim Jong Un wants war have excluded key details from their analyses. First, the language change in Pyongyang's Constitution matters little, given that the Kim regime continued its military programs before the change. Kim has also explicitly stated that he won't start a war but only respond to outside aggression. North Korea's recent escalation isn't erratic, as some would claim, but rather comes in response to the US and Soeul speaking of regime change.