North Korea sends tough message to US after Venezuela attack, fires multiple ballistic missiles
North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, prompting heightened monitoring by South Korea, the US and Japan. The launch comes amid US military action in Venezuela
North Korea fires ballistic missiles
In its first launch of 2026, North Korea on Sunday (Dec 4) fired multiple ballistic missiles off its east coast, said Seoul.
North Korea's action comes after US attacked Venezuela
The launch comes amid US military's action against Pyongyang's socialist ally Venezuela. The two nations solidified their relationship over decades. Venezuela opened its first embassy in Pyongyang in 2019 to strengthen cooperation against what both termed "North American imperialism". North Korea has maintained an embassy in Caracas since 2014.
How South Korea and Japan reacted?
The missile launch comes at the backdrop of South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung trip to China for a summit. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it detected several ballistic missile launches from North Korea’s capital region around 7:50 a.m. It said the missiles were fired in a direction toward North Korea’s eastern waters but gave no further details like how far they traveled. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it has bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely exchanging information with the US and Japan on North Korea missile launches. Japan’s defense ministry said it also spotted suspected missile launches by North Korea. There were no immediate reports of any damages.
US attacks Venezuela
In a quick and precise military operation, the US, on Saturday (Jan 3), captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, in what it described as its war against drug cartels and drug lords. US forces bombed Venezuela, captured Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their bedroom and have brought them to New York.
Maduro 'captured', US to 'run Venezuela'
Addressing the media after the operation, Trump said that Washington will rule Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” Trump also said that “very large United States oil companies” would move into Venezuela to “fix the badly broken… oil infrastructure and start making money for the country”. He added that his administration’s actions “will make the people of Venezuela rich, independent and safe.”
How international community reacted?
The international community condemned Trump's actions, with China calling out America's “hegemonic behavior” and Russia terming the operation "act of armed aggression".
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