North Korea threatens ballistic escalation
by Tom Rogan
July 17, 2019 09:33 AM U.S.-focused North Korean propaganda is always hyperbolic and always eccentric. But it does represent the regime's thinking. It thus requires our close attention. Especially when the North Koreans talk about ballistic missile tests.
And that's exactly what North Korea's KCNA official western-focused news site did on Tuesday.
Referencing an upcoming U.S.-South Korean military exercise (one the Trump administration hasn't canceled), North Korea lamented "a rehearsal of war aimed at militarily occupying [North Korea] by surprise attack and rapid dispatch of large-scale reinforcements..." Pyongyang continued, "Our discontinuation of the nuclear and [intercontinental ballistic missile] tests and the U.S. suspension of joint military exercises are, to all its intents and purposes, commitments made to improve bilateral relations. They are not a legal document inscribed on a paper."
Leaving no doubts, KCNA concluded "With the U.S. unilaterally reneging on its commitments, we are gradually losing our justifications to follow through on the commitments we made with the U.S. as well."
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/north-korea-threatens-ballistic-escalation
