SEOUL — North Korea on Saturday defended its recent flurry of missile tests as a legitimate counter to U.S. military threats. ADVERTISEMENTOn Tuesday, it fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan, prompting an alert for people in affected areas underneath to take cover. The launches are part of a record year of weapons tests by isolated North Korea, which leader Kim Jong Un has declared an “irreversible” nuclear power, effectively ending the possibility of denuclearization talks. North Korea on Saturday released a separate statement, saying it was “seriously approaching the extremely worrisome development of the present situation”, referring to the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan being part of the US-South Korea military drills this week. The joint exercises by Seoul and Washington have always infuriated the North as Pyongyang considers them rehearsals for invasion.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 08, 2022 08:04 UTC