Kim: Pyongyang tests a 'warning' against US-South exercises

 Yesterday the regime fired two ballistic missiles from the southwestern county of Kwail.  But sport remains an instrument of dialogue between the two Koreas: between August 30 and September 3 the cycling tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) will take place.

Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - North Korea has conducted its last missile test to launch a warning to South Korea and the United States, currently engaged in joint military exercises.  This was stated by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after launching two short-range ballistic missiles in the East Sea - the fourth in less than two weeks. 

Yet,  if the increase in tensions in the peninsula threatens to derail the negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington, sport continues to be an instrument of dialogue between the two Koreas: the Ministry of the Interior and Security of Seoul announced today that between August 30  and on September 3 the Tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) will take place, an international cycling competition along the roads that divide the two countries.

At 5:24 am and 5:36 am yesterday, the regime fired two ballistic missiles from the southwestern county of Kwail, in the province of South Hwanghae.  Both missiles travelled for about 450 kilometers through the northern region of the Korean peninsula;  before crashing into the water, they reached a maximum altitude of 37km and a speed of almost 6.9 Mach.  After witnessing the test, Kim stated that "military action is an opportunity to send an appropriate warning against ongoing joint exercises". 

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) - Pyongyang news agency - reports that the leader also had himself photographed together with the officials who "successfully conducted the demonstration launch";  for some analysts, this is a possible sign that the North has completed the development of the weapon, described as a "new concept tactical guided missile".

 While the Armed Forces of Seoul analyze and reveal details of Pyongyang's latest test, diplomacy is relaunching sport as a driving force for the difficult path of reconciliation between North and South. Also this year the Tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) will take place,  a competition established in 2016. The South Korean government reports that the five-day race, which will take place in areas adjacent to the DMZ, will be divided into three categories: elite junior cyclists, amateur cycling enthusiasts and ordinary citizens. 

In the recent past the demilitarized zone was the scene of killings of tourists and simple passers-by, so much to terrorize the inhabitants of the South, who refused to approach them.  With the North-South dialogue resumed by President Moon, greater cooperation and communication between the two military forces is taking place in the area.