US and South Korean forces launch missiles into the sea in retaliation to North Korea's aggression



On Monday, the U.S. and South Korean militaries launched eight ballistic missiles into the sea in a retaliatory show of force that matched a similar display conducted by North Korea just the day before.

The Associated Press reported that U.S. and South Korean forces were conducting a live-fire exercise that involved eight Army Tactical Missile System missiles. The American military provided one missile and the South Korean military provided the other seven.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Forces Korea confirmed that the missiles were fired into South Korea’s eastern waters over a span of ten minutes following notifications of air and maritime safety.

The retaliatory missile launches were intended to demonstrate the ability of South Korean and U.S forces to swiftly and lethally respond to aggression from North Korea.

On Sunday, the South Korean military detected eight short-range missiles originating from North Korea. They were launched over a 35-minute span from at least four different locations including western and eastern coastal areas and two inland areas north of and near the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang.

These missile launches are North Korea’s latest provocation of the international community and marks the 18th round of missile tests conducted by the reclusive communist nation so far inn 2022. This round of missile tests from the North came just one day after the South Korean military conducted a naval drill in the Philippine Sea alongside the U.S. aircraft carried Ronald Reagan.

It is believed that Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s supreme leader, is renewing his efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

Yoon Suk Yeol, the newly elected president of South Korea, recently made a speech during the country’s Memorial Day celebrations that his government would pursue “fundamental and practical security capabilities” to counter North Korea’s growing aggression.

Yoon, a conservative who took office in May, has vowed to strengthen the South’s defense through collaborating with the U.S. as a strategic ally.

At the National Cemetery in Seoul, Yoon said, “North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs have grown to a point where they are not only a threat to the Korean Peninsula, but to Northeast Asia and world peace.”

Yoon said that his government would “sternly respond to any kind of North Korean provocation.”

Yoon’s approach to dealing with North Korea breaks with that of his predecessor who emphasized amicable dialogue with the North.

Yoon said, “Just to escape temporarily North Korean provocation or conflict is not something that we should do. This kind of approach over the past five years has proven to be a failure.”

Zelenskyy warns of a 'third World War' if peace talks with Putin don't succeed



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin fail, it will mark the beginning of “a third World War.”

While speaking with CNN host Fareed Zakaria, Zelenskyy said that he is “ready for negotiations” with Putin to try to end the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“I’m ready for negotiations with him,” Zelenskyy said through a translator. “I was ready for the last two years.”

“I think that without negotiations we cannot end this war,” he added.

Zelenskyy went on to say that he would try any method of negotiation that would bring about an end to the conflict. He suggested that if it didn’t come to an end through negotiation, the conflict would lead to greater calamity.

He said, “We have to use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating, possibility of talking to Putin, but if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third World War.”

Noting that diplomatic dialogue does not always yield immediate results that please public appetites, Zelensky said, “All the people that think this dialogue is shallow, that is not going to resolve anything, they just don’t understand that this is very valuable.”

He added, “If there is just [a] one percent chance for us to stop this war, I think that we need to take this chance. We need to do that.”

During the interview with Zakaria, Zelenskyy noted that the Ukrainian military is digging its heels in and fighting back against Russian forces, dealing a “powerful blow” to the invading army.

Zelenskyy also lamented the ongoing loss of life being caused by the conflict.

He said, “In any case we are losing people on a daily basis, innocent people on the ground. Russian forces have come to exterminate us, and to kill us.”

“We have demonstrated the dignity of our people and our arm that we are able to deal a powerful blow,” he continued, “We are able to strike back, but unfortunately our dignity is not going to preserve the lives.”

It is likely that the bloodshed will continue as neither side appears willing to give in to the demands of their counterparts.

Previously, Russian leadership offered to end its invasion of Ukraine if Ukraine agreed to cease military actions, change its constitution to ensure its neutrality on the geopolitical stage, recognize Crimea as Russian territory, and recognize the currently Russian-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states.

Zelenskyy rejected this offer.

And, as peace talks drag on, so to does the bloodshed. In recent days, the Russian military debuted a new hypersonic missile that is able to thwart sophisticated defense systems and cause devastating amounts of damage.

Xi Jinping sends a message to Kim Jong-Un seeking to promote friendly relations and build 'a new situation' that changes the global pecking order



Chinese President Xi Jinping has reached out to the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un, seeking to promote friendly relations.

Xi sent a message to Kim saying that the Chinese government was ready to come to a “common understanding” with North Korean leadership as the two nations work to build supportive and friendly relations under “a new situation,” Fox News reported.

Xi’s message to his North Korean counterpart was in response to Kim congratulating Chinese leadership at the close of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

The North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, “In the message, the respected Comrade Kim Jong-Un extended heartfelt warm congratulations to General Secretary Xi Jinping upon the splendid proceeding of the Beijing Winter Olympics as a novel and special grand sports festival.”

Despite enthusiastically applauding the Chinese Olympics, North Korea was prohibited from participating by the International Olympic Committee over the country refusal to participate in last Summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games over COVID-19 concerns.

Kim said that North Korea and China are “frustrating the undisguised hostile policy and military threat of the U.S. and its satellite forces by strengthening the bilateral strategic cooperation and unity.”

The North Korean leader said he was committed to “more firmly consolidate the [North Korea]-China relationship into the invincible one.”

The message of friendship between the two communist countries came just one day after Xi offered his “support” to Russian President Vladimir Putin as Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

#BREAKING: Chinese President Xi Jinping had a phone talk with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Xi said China supports the Russian side in solving the issue through negotiation with the Ukrainian side.pic.twitter.com/vH1EdT0sLN
— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1645795962

During the Beijing Winter Olympics, Xi and Putin had an in-person meeting where the two leaders agreed to cooperate and potentially advance each other’s goals.

They issued a joint statement that said, “Friendship between the two States has no limits, there are no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation.”

This agreement between China and Russia marks the most detailed and aggressive statement the two countries have made as they collaborate to unseat the United States as the global hegemon.

In recent days, North Korea has allegedly resumed development and testing ballistic missiles as it continues developing nuclear weapons.

Business Insider reported that Japan’s Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said, “frequent launches” have been coming from North Korea since the outset of 2022. The minister believes that North Korean leadership resumed testing its missiles this winter because the international community was more focused on the possibility of Russia invading Ukraine.

He said, “If North Korea deliberately carried out the missile launch while the international community is distracted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, such an act is absolutely unforgivable.”

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