The ruler in Pyongyang is holding maneuvers at sea and talking about war. There are different interpretations of what he intends to do with this.

FHe had long been forgotten due to the many crises in other parts of the world. But North Korea's dictator Kim Jong-un is pushing back onto the agenda of world powers with war rhetoric and weapons tests. In mid-January, the threats intensified when Kim told the Supreme People's Assembly that peaceful reunification with South Korea was no longer the central political goal of his regime. Instead, he declared South Korea the “number one most hostile country” and a “permanent enemy.” Kim is now having corresponding measures enshrined in the constitution. He mentioned the word for war twenty-three times in his speech.

North Korea underlined this with artillery maneuvers in the Western Sea, the first in six years. South Korea responded with twice as many volleys. On Tuesday, the North fired several cruise missiles into the sea between China and the Korean Peninsula. Recently, Pyongyang also announced a test with a supposedly nuclear-capable underwater torpedo, after it had recently apparently successfully tested a medium-range missile, allegedly equipped with a hypersonic warhead. Tactical nuclear weapons such as the torpedo correspond to the North Korean nuclear doctrine, which has been in force since 2022, which envisages a nuclear first strike even if a conventional attack on the command or command center could be imminent.