[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] US Nuclear Submarine Departs, Showcasing Nuclear-Armed Missiles

North Korea Fires Multiple Cruise Missiles into West Sea... Possibility of Hwasal 1 and 2

North Korea launched a cruise missile into the West Sea on the 22nd. It is presumed that by launching a cruise missile capable of carrying tactical nuclear warheads with the U.S. strategic nuclear submarine (SSBN) docking in Busan in mind, North Korea intended to demonstrate that it possesses actual nuclear attack capabilities. Additionally, with the so-called ‘Victory Day’ (July 27th, the day the armistice agreement was signed) 70th anniversary approaching, it is predicted that North Korea will continue military provocations.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated on the 22nd, "Our military detected several cruise missiles launched into the West Sea from around 4 a.m. today," adding, "Detailed specifications are being precisely analyzed by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities."

North Korea’s missile launch comes three days after firing two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) into the East Sea on the 19th. On March 22nd, North Korea launched two ‘Hwasal-1’ and two ‘Hwasal-2’ strategic cruise missiles in the Hamhung area of South Hamgyong Province. The ‘Hwasal-1’ and ‘Hwasal-2’ are known to be capable of carrying North Korea’s tactical nuclear warhead, the ‘Hwasan-31.’

If this recent missile is indeed a Hwasal-1 or Hwasal-2, it is presumed that by launching a cruise missile capable of carrying tactical nuclear warheads, North Korea intended to demonstrate that it possesses actual nuclear attack capabilities targeting the entire Korean Peninsula and U.S. military bases in Japan.

The U.S. strategic nuclear submarine (SSBN) USS Kentucky, which visited South Korea for the first time in 42 years, departed on the morning of the 21st. The USS Kentucky docked at the Busan operational base on the 18th, the day the new U.S.-South Korea extended deterrence consultation body, the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), held its inaugural meeting. President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the USS Kentucky on the 19th, becoming the first foreign head of state to do so. It is known that the USS Kentucky did not conduct joint exercises with the South Korean military during its four-day visit.

On the 20th, North Korea issued a statement under the name of Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam, threatening that the increased visibility of strategic asset deployments, such as the docking of the U.S. strategic nuclear submarine (SSBN) in Busan, "may correspond to the conditions for nuclear weapon use as stipulated in our national nuclear force policy laws."

In response, the Ministry of National Defense warned, "Any nuclear attack against the ROK-U.S. alliance will face an immediate, overwhelming, and decisive response from the alliance," adding, "Through this, the North Korean regime will face its end."

Meanwhile, North Korea is expected to continue large-scale internal propaganda alongside military provocations until Victory Day.

On the 21st at around 8:40 p.m., North Korea’s Korean Central Television broadcasted a television stage program titled ‘The Last 5 Minutes,’ focusing on the life of former division commander Choi Chun-guk. The special program highlighted the ‘revolutionary elder’ who was a former anti-Japanese partisan, tightening ideological education aimed at the younger generation.