North Korea is at it again, firing off ballistic missiles like a rogue fireworks display just as South Korea’s president heads to China for critical talks.
Early on January 4, 2026, multiple missiles soared from North Korea’s capital region toward eastern waters, mere hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung boarded a plane for a summit with China’s President Xi Jinping to address North Korea’s nuclear antics and regional stability.
Before this latest stunt, North Korea was already flexing its muscles, testing long-range cruise missiles on December 29, 2025, and showcasing progress on a nuclear-powered submarine just days earlier on Christmas Day.
On January 3, 2026, Kim Jong Un personally inspected a weapons factory, pushing for a massive increase in production capacity for precision-guided arms, as if his arsenal wasn’t already a global headache.
Then, on January 4, South Korea’s military clocked the ballistic missile launches at around 7:50 a.m., with the projectiles traveling some 560 miles, while the U.S. and South Korea scramble to analyze the specifics.
Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi didn’t mince words, stating, “They are a serious problem, threatening the peace and security of our nation, the region and the world.” That’s a sobering reality check, but where’s the action to back it up? We can’t keep issuing stern statements while North Korea laughs all the way to the launch pad.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry slammed the launches as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, urging Kim’s regime to stop the provocations and come back to the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military shrugged off any immediate threat to American personnel or allies, but that’s cold comfort when North Korea’s long-term game is nuclear expansion, especially after failed talks with the U.S. in 2019.
The timing of these launches, right before President Lee’s four-day trip to China, reeks of deliberate provocation, as if Kim Jong Un is daring the world to ignore him.
Lee’s office made it clear he’ll press China, North Korea’s biggest ally and trading partner, to step up and help de-escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. But with China and Russia repeatedly blocking tougher U.N. sanctions on North Korea, conservatives have every right to question whether Beijing is a partner or a roadblock in this crisis.
Experts suggest these missile displays are tied to North Korea’s upcoming Workers’ Party congress, expected in early 2026, where Kim likely wants to parade his defense achievements to solidify power.
Adding fuel to the fire, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry raged against a U.S. operation in Venezuela on January 3, 2026, that removed leader Nicolás Maduro, calling it “the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty.” While their outrage is predictable, it’s another reminder of Kim’s alignment with anti-American regimes, cozying up to Russia and China over conflicts like Ukraine.
South Korea, for its part, held an emergency national security meeting on January 4 to address the launches, briefing President Lee on the situation and outlining unspecified response measures.
At the end of the day, conservatives must push for a no-nonsense policy—strengthen alliances, ramp up sanctions, and hold enablers accountable, because appeasement hasn’t worked and won’t start now. The world can’t afford to let North Korea’s missile tantrums become the new normal while American taxpayers foot the bill for endless defense commitments.
