U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin during their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (Jeon Heon-Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin during their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. North Korea has test-fired more than 30 ballistic missiles this year, including its first flights of intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017, as leader Kim Jong Un pushes to advance his nuclear arsenal in the face of what North Korea has called “gangster-like” U.S.-led pressure and sanctions. While the Biden administration has said it would push for additional sanctions if North Korea conducts another nuclear test, the prospects for meaningful punitive measures are unclear. ADVERTISEMENTGuterres’ meetings with South Korean officials came a day after North Korea claimed a widely disputed victory over COVID-19 but also blamed rival South Korea for the outbreak, vowing “deadly” retaliation.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 12, 2022 11:15 UTC