The South Korean military announced Tuesday that it is keeping an eye on the potential movement of rocket launchers by North Korea’s military to Changrin Islet, a Western border islet. That’s according to Yonhap News Agency, which cited a military briefing.

“Our military has been closely tracking and monitoring North Korea’s military moves, while the South Korean and the U.S. intelligence authorities have been maintaining a close cooperation,” South Korean  Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Col. Kim Jun-rak said at a briefing. “Leaving all possibilities open, we maintain a readiness posture.”

South Korea’s government also said that the signs were first detected “months ago” of the rocket launcher movement.

In 2019, Kim Jong-un had ordered the military to practice firing artillery on the same islet, and South Korea condemned that at the time as well, per Republic World. South Korea had called the exercises a violation of the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement.

However, on Tuesday, per Yonhap News Agency, defense ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan said that “I don't think that the deployment of specific arms constitutes the violation or nullification of the agreement.”

The incident follows a series of events last week, when top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, visited Asia, and discussed the North Korean nuclear situation with their counterparts in South Korea and Japan. At the same time, the United States and South Korea carried out military exercises. 

During the visit to the region by U.S. officials, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, issued a statement warning the United States against involvement.

“We take this opportunity to warn the new U.S. administration trying hard to give off (gun) powder smell in our land,” Kim Yo-Jong said. “If it wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step.” She also ripped the United States and South Korea for carrying out the military exercises. Also last week, some intelligence sources told CNN that they believe North Korea may be readying a new weapons test, citing vehicle activity near Pyongyang. 

The new round of saber-rattling comes in the opening months of the Biden presidency, and many are watching what that means for the situation in North Korea. Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, had referred to Kim as “Little Rocket Man,” before eventually opening a diplomatic process with North Korea, which had Trump meeting with Kim on multiple occasions in 2018 and 2019. However, that diplomatic opening finished without any type of agreement on denuclearization or any other major issue. 

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for the National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.

Image: Reuters