Kim Jong-Un’s aim is Yokosuka, Okinawa, and the waters near Hawaii.

On October 4, one missile passed over Japan and went into the Pacific Ocean, and on October 9, two went into the Sea of Japan. …… The number of missiles launched by North Korea has exceeded 30 this year, a record number. Military journalist Buntaro Kuroi explains.

North Korea has launched more than 30 missiles since the beginning of this year, a record number. Launching ballistic missiles is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. However, relations between the U.S. and Russia, and between the U.S. and China, are deteriorating due to the Ukraine conflict and the Taiwan Strait issue. Even if the missile launch is forced, Russia and China, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, will oppose sanctions against North Korea. North Korea has also declared that it will resume ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) launches and nuclear tests.”

Last January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un announced a five-year national defense development plan, the framework of which included the production of a “super-large nuclear warhead,” which is believed to mean a hydrogen bomb. The plan is on track and North Korea is expected to be fully armed in three years. Mr. Kuroi continued.

The five-year plan also calls for the development of a “multiwarhead ICBM. What is needed is to miniaturize nuclear bombs. With the current favorable situation for North Korea, there is no reason not to conduct a nuclear test in order to achieve the plan.

But North Korea’s emphasis on hydrogen bomb tests is a big gamble. North Korea’s emphasis on hydrogen bomb testing is a big gamble,” said Shin-il Byeon, editor-in-chief of Korea Report.

North Korea has crossed the red line that the U.S. draws. The Bush administration banned nuclear tests, the Obama administration developed a means of delivering nuclear weapons, and the Trump administration put nuclear warheads on ICBMs. …… The line that the U.S. really cannot compromise on would be a hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean. That would put the U.S. homeland at risk.

On September 30, U.S. Special Forces in South Korea unveiled a “beheading” drill targeting Kim Jong-Un. The plan is to assassinate Jong-un before he presses the nuclear button. Mr. Hen continued.

At the Supreme People’s Assembly in September, a decree was passed stating that if the national leadership is attacked, a nuclear strike will be carried out immediately. It is a declaration that as soon as we detect a beheading operation, we will retaliate with nuclear weapons.

The United States is not the only target of a nuclear attack. Japan is no stranger to nuclear attacks.

North Korea announced its attack targets in 2004. The first was the South Korean presidential office and U.S. military bases in South Korea. The second is the U.S. military bases in Japan, Guam, Hawaii, and the U.S. mainland, including those in Yokosuka and Okinawa. Any of these could be attacked within the range of North Korea’s missiles (see map below).

(See map below.) An open war between the U.S. and North Korea by means of nuclear weapons is not a pipe dream. Mr. Hen explains.

In April, Jong-un’s sister, Yo-jeong, said, “In the early stages of the war, the U.S. will lose its will to fight to prevent a prolonged war. This may be a lesson from Russia, which was forced to fight a prolonged war because it could not make Ukraine lose its will to fight. A half-hearted attack could lead to a repeat of Russia. I think they will launch a strong first strike and use nuclear weapons.”

North Korea’s missile barrage is a strong check on Japan, the U.S., and South Korea on the eve of the outbreak of war.

From the October 28 and November 4, 2022 issues of FRIDAY