MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Pyongyang’s latest missile launches are a clear sign to major actors it is ready to take part in the unfolding geopolitical and military contest for a redistribution of statuses in the region, hoping to have a say in the new reality, the director of the Asia and Africa Countries Institute under the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, expert of the Valdai international discussion club, Alexey Maslov, told TASS on Wednesday.

Maslov drew attention to a statement by the South Korean military the DPRK had launched three ballistic missiles on Wednesday. He pointed to the context that preceded the event: the tests followed US President Joe Biden’s visit to South Korea and Japan, as well as the Quad summit (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue by Australia, India, the United States and Japan - TASS) in Tokyo. One of the most sensitive aspects, Maslov said, was the agreement, expressed in a joint statement by Biden and the South Korean leader, Yoon Sok-yeol, to begin consultations on expanding military exercises.

"The ongoing escalation in the region is a very serious message to all countries, because, on the one hand, some very concrete plans, and not abstract ones, are being discussed. For instance, exercises involving the fleets and air forces of several countries. Moreover, not only "eternal regional players" - such as South Korea - but also Australia and New Zealand are drawn into this club. It is obvious that Japan will be involved, too, while India prefers to sit on the fence for the time being, Maslov noted. North Korea understands perfectly well that a redistribution of geopolitical statuses is underway and many countries, including Japan, China and South Korea, wish to win acclaim as independent actors. In this case, the DPRK shows that it is ready to join the geopolitical and even military race to make its voice heard."

According to the expert, the current situation indicates that the United States wants to turn the Pacific Ocean into a zone of a permanent conflict and to draw China into a direct confrontation with Taiwan. "In this way, the United States wants to create two serious hotbeds of tension - in Europe and in the Taiwan Strait region - and to continue to govern the current world using conflicts as a leverage," Maslov stressed. "The creation of Quad and Biden’s visit [to South Korea] were targeted against China. Both emphasized that in the United States’ opinion China is upsetting military parities in Asia. Also, they were to hit the DPRK on the rebound. There are no other countries in the region that might be named as a threat to the United States. China and the DPRK are the only two. Pyongyang understands this and wishes to demonstrate that it has, at least, certain resources for defense and attack."

In addition, according to the expert, the missile launches were to show the domestic audience that even in the face of a serious outbreak of COVID-19 the country's leadership keeps the situation under control and "continues to live and work as usual and has no intention to curtail its nuclear missile programs."

North Korea’s missile launches

Seoul says North Korea launched three ballistic missiles on Wednesday. According to the South Korean military, one of them was intercontinental, and the other two, short-range ballistic ones. Apparently, the launch of one of the short-range missiles ended in failure. In response to Pyongyang's tests, the United States and South Korea launched two missiles. According to the South Korean military, the intercontinental ballistic missile flew about 360 kilometers. It rose to a maximum altitude of 540 kilometers.