North Korea’s latest ballistic missile tests prompted US president Donald Trump to respond with threats of “fire and fury”. The heightened state of tension in the Korean peninsula is unlikely to lead to an immediate war. However, it is certain to add to the instability in the region, at the root of which lies growing rivalry and bickering among imperialist powers.
The increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula over the last few months have brought a renewed sense of insecurity to many in the region. The two Koreas are no strangers to these sorts of tensions, but this time the crisis has prompted some to make comparisons with the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.
On 30 March, North Korea even announced that "inter-Korean relations are in a state of war" and later claimed that it would restart its suspended nuclear enrichment facility at Yongbyon. Many commentators have also speculated that North Korea would launch a ballistic missile or carry out a fourth nuclear test.
The recent artillery exchanges in the Korean peninsula come after a period of escalating tension in the region, reports Kim Ha-young.
At the end of November, North Korea fired artillery shells into Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea, killing four people, including two innocent civilians. It is claimed that South Korea retaliated with its own artillery, resulting in major damage to North Korea. A North Korean broadcast reported, "The enemy fired artillery shells indiscriminately, even to residential areas."
