North Korea responded to Joe Biden and said it would continue to expand its “overwhelming military power”.

The North Korean regime warned on Saturday (local time) that will continue to expand its “crushing military arsenal”, following statements by US President Joe Biden, who at his first press conference said his administration would “react accordingly to an escalation” in Pyongyang.

Kim Jong-un regime’s state television said recent weapons tests – the last of which allegedly involved ballistic missiles – they took place in response to joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea.

“We are supposed to have every right to self-defense to contain military threats,” said a passage from the statement. “I think the new US administration has taken the wrong first step. If you continue with your unconscious statements without thinking about the consequences, you might face something that would not be right.“, He adds.

And concludes: “We know very well what to do. We will continue to increase our vast and overwhelming military might“.

The statement is the latest installment in the exchange of messages and actions between Washington and Pyongyang, which began earlier this month with the Kim Jong-un regime’s response to the military exercises. At the time, the influential sister of the North Korean dictator said that if Biden “you want to sleep well for the next four years, you better not create a job that causes you to lose zero sleep“.

In the following days, reports of missile tests carried out by Pyongang were made public. Last weekend, the American authorities confirmed the launch of two short-range non-ballistic missiles heading west towards China.

And last Thursday, Japan confirmed the launch of two ballistic missiles over the sea of ​​the same name. was the first such weapon test since Joe Biden came to the White House as president.

The launch was overseen by senior official Ri Pyong Chol, who said the success of the trial was “of great importance for strengthening the country’s military capabilities,” according to the state news agency. KCNA.

According to information provided by the governments of South Korea, Japan and the United States, the two projectiles, suspected ballistic missiles, traveled about 450 kilometers apart after reaching an altitude of about 60 kilometers, a performance generally attributed to short-range missiles. range and tactical use.

Hours earlier, Biden had been asked about Pyongyang’s actions at his first press conference and made the aforementioned statement. He was also willing to explore diplomatic alternatives, but clarified that these must be subject to the denuclearization of the Asian country.

Despite this Saturday’s response, the regime’s recent actions appear to be a limited provocation that the North Korean regime usually does at the start of all U.S. administrations, and not necessarily an attempt to trigger an escalation.

Pyongyang is the subject of multiple international sanctions for its weapons program, the UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting it from developing ballistic missiles. But under Kim Jong Un’s leadership, it has beefed up its capabilities and tested missiles capable of reaching the continental United States since relations deteriorated in 2017.

The nuclear-weaponized communist state has long used weapon testing to provoke, in a process carefully calibrated to achieve its goals.

KEEP READING: