Kim Jong-un, North Korea's iron-fisted leader, is flexing military muscle again with tests of long-range cruise missiles, signaling an unyielding push for nuclear dominance.
Kim personally oversaw the launch of these strategic cruise missiles on Sunday, a move reported by Breitbart News. South Korea's Yonhap news agency confirmed the missiles were fired near Pyongyang over the Yellow Sea.
State media in Pyongyang crowed about Kim's satisfaction with the tests, claiming they prove the "absolute reliability" of North Korea's nuclear counterattack strength. Such boasts are par for the course, but they paper over a regime obsessed with projecting power while its people suffer under crushing oppression.
Kim's Nuclear Ambitions on Full Display
The cruise missile tests are only part of the story, as Kim also made a high-profile visit to a site constructing what North Korea claims is a nuclear-powered submarine. State outlets reported this event on Christmas Day, a holiday erased from North Korean life by decades of anti-religious tyranny.
Kim reportedly "guided" the construction of this 8,700-ton submarine, though any real expertise on his part remains unproven. Propaganda hailed the project as a cornerstone of nuclear deterrence, a claim that reeks of desperation to match American and South Korean capabilities.
Workers at the site were described as brimming with "inexhaustible patriotic enthusiasm," a tired trope from a regime that equates dissent with death. This submarine, if ever completed, would be a dangerous step toward underwater nuclear launches, escalating regional tensions further.
South Korea's Frustrated Response to Provocations
South Korea's government, under the more dialogue-focused President Lee Jae-myung, expressed clear irritation at the missile tests. Spokesperson Chung Binna urged North Korea to engage in good-faith talks for peace, a plea that falls on deaf ears with Kim's clique.
Seoul's frustration is understandable, given the timing of these tests amid their efforts to stabilize the peninsula. Yet expecting reciprocity from a regime built on threats feels like wishing for rain in a desert.
The arrival of a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Greenville, in Busan on December 23 only poured fuel on the fire. North Korea's Defense Ministry raged against this as a provocative act, accusing the U.S. of escalating military tensions to dangerous levels.
North Korea's Defiant Stance Against U.S. Presence
Pyongyang's response to the American submarine's presence was predictably hostile, with officials decrying it as a step toward a "nuclear confrontation bloc." Their statement vowed to bolster defense capabilities, a thinly veiled promise of more weapons development.
This rhetoric, while aggressive, reveals a regime rattled by the U.S.-South Korea alliance's visible strength. Kim's bluster about "prospective interests" masks a deeper fear of being outmaneuvered on the global stage.
Kim himself claimed, as reported by state media, that the submarine project represents "the greatest immortal feats" of North Korea's workers and scientists. Such grandiose language is laughable when the country's resources are funneled into war toys instead of feeding its starving citizens.
A Regime Prioritizing Threats Over People
North Korea's consistent threats against South Korea, the U.S., and Japan remain a core part of its political identity, even if Kim has dialed back some of the more theatrical propaganda. Nuclear saber-rattling continues to define Pyongyang's approach, no matter who sits in Seoul's presidential office.
The timing of the submarine announcement on Christmas Day feels like a deliberate jab at the West, especially given North Korea's brutal suppression of Christianity. Once dubbed the "Jerusalem of the East," the nation now punishes Bible possession with torture or worse, a grim reminder of the Kim family values.
As Kim Jong-un parades his missile tests and submarine dreams, the world watches a dictator more committed to war games than human dignity. South Korea's calls for dialogue, echoed by Chung Binna's statement that "North Korea should respond to South Korea’s efforts to resume dialogue," deserve a response, but betting on Kim's goodwill is a losing wager.
