North Korea’s Artillery Launches Expose Dangerous Brinkmanship Amid U.S.-South Korea Alliance Talks

North Korea once again flexed its military might on America’s doorstep, launching around ten artillery rockets from a multiple-launch rocket system on the very day U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth touched down in South Korea. This calculated act of defiance sent projectiles toward the Yellow Sea, mere hours before Hegseth’s visit to the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) — a stark reminder of Pyongyang’s unrelenting hostility. Why Is Pyongyang Testing Boundaries While U.S.-South Korea Alliances Strengthen? The timing is no coincidence. Pyongyang’s provocations coincided not only with Hegseth’s arrival at Osan Air Base but also with a renewed focus on...