North Korea - South Korea: "Chaotic Arms Race" in the Pacific

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Always new missiles, ever greater ranges.

Missile tests have frightened the Asia-Pacific region for years.

Now the hostile countries of North and South Korea have tested new missiles just a few days apart.

North Korea's state broadcaster released a video on Wednesday showing a new rail-based missile system being tested in an undisclosed location in the country. The Kim Jong regime reported to Us that at least one missile had hit a target "in the waters 800 kilometers off the east coast" - that is, in the Sea of ​​Japan. The Tokyo Ministry of Defense confirmed that two missiles landed on Japanese territory. Only a few days earlier, Pyongyang had tested a cruise missile. Experts disagree as to whether this could be used to carry nuclear warheads to their target. Some analysts doubt that the cruise missiles from Kim Jong Uns arsenal are fully functional.

After the tests, South Korea sent clear signals to the neighboring state. A video released by the Presidential Office shows a new submarine firing a missile. It is an independently developed ballistic missile that was launched underwater for the first time. According to its own statements, this would make South Korea the seventh country to have such a technology. The video shows President Moon Jae-in following the missile test - and it is obviously supposed to show how precise the guided missiles from South Korea are.

The tensions between the Korean states endanger the stability in the region. In an interview with SPIEGEL, the expert Ankit Panda said there was a "chaotic arms race" there. North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Un has nuclear weapons developed to deter the West and to demonstrate strength at home. South Korea, on the other hand, is arming itself with conventional weapons, with the support of the USA and Japan.