North Korea lodges formal protest with US following Minuteman III missile test

North Korea lodges formal protest with US following Minuteman III missile test

North Korea has declared its intention to continue military actions and criticize the United States following a recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test, according to state media KCNA. An article by an unnamed military commentator, published by KCNA, stated that North Korea, also known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), will persist in its military efforts to strengthen deterrence and ensure strategic security in the Korean peninsula and the region. The report specifically condemned the test-firing of a nuclear-capable Minuteman III missile at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, which was later destroyed due to an anomaly detected by the U.S. Air Force. Notably, a South Korean delegation visited the base to observe the ICBM launch, marking the first such visit since 2016. The KCNA article also criticized the deployment of U.S. nuclear strategic bombers in South Korea and military maneuvers conducted by the U.S. and South Korea. These maneuvers include a joint aerial exercise involving the U.S., South Korea, and Japan, as well as major air exercises with 130 warplanes simulating 24-hour wartime operations. South Korea and the U.S. argue that these drills are necessary to maintain combat readiness in response to provocations from Pyongyang. North Korea has consistently denounced joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington, viewing them as preparations for war.