The DPRK’s response to the upcoming exercises began long before the exercises started. From August 1-12, the North Korean leader visited a number of military factories.In particular, from August 3 to 5, Kim Jong-un visited factories producing multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) and engines for cruise missiles and drones.In addition, he familiarized himself with the production of launchers for tactical missiles equipped with nuclear warheads, as well as small arms production.Kim also visited the construction of a new factory for the production…

The media claimed on July 18, 2023, that US soldier Travis King crossed into DPRK territory unlawfully and voluntarily while on a tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) and that he is currently in North Korean custody. Vasily Matuzok, a MGIMO student, fled from north to south in a strikingly identical manner on November 23, 1984. Then, however, the incident ended in a shootout with casualties on both sides. Assuring that the soldier intentionally crossed the border into North Korea, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that he was “absolutely first and foremost concerned”…

On December 26, 2022, five North Korean small reconnaissance drones invaded South Korean airspace, and the South responded by sending its drones into North Korean airspace. As the drones could not be stopped and one of them breached the no-fly zone near the Yongsan Presidential Office, the South Korean media avidly debated the situation. The invasion startled authorities by exposing the inadequacies of Seoul’s air defenses and small drone detection systems. Meanwhile, the drones might theoretically carry lethal weaponry aimed at vital locations in the South…

Although the rule of President Yoon Suk-yeol began with declarations of national unity, by late June or early July 2023, there have been a number of actions that hint to a rightward tilt. These actions go beyond the appointment of a new unification minister, which the author has already discussed. Recall that when Kim Yung-ho was selected for the ministerial position, he stated that human rights in North Korea should be a top priority in Seoul’s inter-Korean policy and that pressure must be exerted on the North. On June 28, 2023, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol stated that “anti-state forces with a distorted view of history and an irresponsible view of the state begged for the lifting of UN Security Council sanctions…

This spring on the Korean Peninsula has been hot so far. The United Nations Security Council held a meeting on the North Korean issue at the end of March, at the request of the United States and its allies. The reason was another missile launch carried out by Pyongyang on March 16. The US condemned Pyongyang’s actions, stressing that the Security Council should have responded with a resolution that was appropriate. Miroslav Jenča, Representative of Slovakia, made a report in which he indicated, in reference to another missile launch by the DPRK, that the situation around the peninsula was heading in the “wrong direction.” North Korea carried out another missile launch on April…

In 2017, before the thaw in relation started, the author mentioned several times that both countries in the Korean peninsula were close to a dangerous threshold. Unfortunately, in spring 2022, this crisis again became likely to happen. The reason for that is not only the launch of Hwasong 17, but also a number of other events. Expanded military and political alliance between...