'In terms of politics and diplomacy, Kim's focus is on pressing the United States ahead of its midterm elections into withdrawing hostile policies by emphasizing to voters that the Biden administration's North Korea policy has failed,' said Yang Moo-jin.
SEOUL - The hundreds of South Korean and American warplanes simulating attacks during drills are most likely what led North Korea to test a record number of missiles this week, experts say, but Pyongyang may also be turning up the heat before a nuclear test.
Just hours before launching 23 missiles of various types into the sea on Wednesday - the most in one day - North Korea issued another condemnation of the Vigilant Storm drills, which involve around 240 South Korean and U.S. warplanes flying missions around the clock. Takashi Kawakami, professor at Takushoku University in Tokyo, noted that among other military movements the United States had recently begun forward-deploying offensive weapons, including rotations of F-22 stealth fighters in Okinawa.
North Korea has completed all the technical preparations for a nuclear test - its first since 2017 - according to South Korean and U.S. officials.
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