North Korea escalates relations with the US and South Korea

(Patria) - North Korea announced yesterday that it will take a tougher stance towards the US and South Korea, which had condemned the test of a North Korean ballistic missile the previous day.

- We will act more offensively towards enemy threats - stated North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang Chol.

Chol said that official Washington is "insolent" in its military maneuvers aimed at "endangering the security" of North Korea, and added that the US is "intentionally raising political and military tensions in the region".

He criticized the arrival of the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "George Washington" in the South Korean port of Busan on Wednesday.

South Korea cited resupply and crew rest as the reason for the ship's arrival.

Yesterday's statement by the North Korean minister and the day-before-yesterday's missile test occurred about a week after US President Donald Trump visited South Korea as part of an official tour of Asia.

Trump had previously opened the possibility of a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with whom he had met three times during his previous term.

However, the meeting did not happen, and Trump said he was "too busy," to which Pyongyang did not react.

During his visit to South Korea, Trump approved the construction of a South Korean nuclear-powered submarine, which few countries possess.

A few days later, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited the border area with North Korea with his South Korean counterpart and confirmed the strength of bilateral relations.

Analysts expect the nuclear submarine agreement to provoke a more aggressive reaction from Pyongyang.

Lawmakers in the South Korean parliament warned after intelligence briefings this week that Pyongyang appears ready for a seventh nuclear test, if its leader Kim Jong-un approves it.