South Korea just tested a new rocket, lighting up the night sky over east Asia and sending an ominous reminder to its neighbor, China, about its position in the region.
On Friday, Yonhap News Agency reported that South Korea had successfully tested a solid-fuel space launch vehicle. This comes less than two weeks after its neighbor, North Korea, announced that it had tested a solid-fuel rocket as part of developing a new strategic weapons system.
The Defense Ministry said the rocket was designed to put a small satellite into low-earth orbit for surveillance operations and that it eventually plans to launch a rocket with a satellite on it, according to Yonhap.
As the rocket soared into the night sky, it left a trail of light a vapor visible for miles around.
? South Korea’s military has confirmed it test-fired a solid-fueled rocket.
A twisty tendril of vapor in white-to-red ombre could be seen snaking behind a bright white light in parts of South Korea’s sky on Dec 30 evening. pic.twitter.com/hdRDOQy7ID
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) December 30, 2022
However, according to the Associated Press, the government had not announced the test to the general public in advance, leading to fears that the object was a UFO or a North Korean missile.
Across parts of South Korea reports of UFO sightings have gone viral on social media.
The defence ministry later confirmed it was a solid-propellant rocket launch test. pic.twitter.com/MX3GQwrHnr
— Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) December 30, 2022
The test was not only visible from South Korea. Journalist Byron Wan posted photos on Twitter showing that the rocket was visible from parts of China as well.
The test launch was also visible in various parts of China’s Liaoning like Shenyang, Dandong and Jinzhou… pic.twitter.com/weZ4sZbmQV
Will China soon go to war?— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) December 30, 2022
This means that South Korea’s adversaries, China and presumably most of North Korea, witnessed the successful test of this new rocket.
China especially may be thinking long and hard about this test, as it is an ominous reminder to the Chinese government of just how perilous their position in east Asia really is.
Over the past year, the Chinese have increased their saber-rattling over Taiwan, leading to renewed fears of a major war in the Far East. But this test might make them think twice before attempting anything.
China is not exactly surrounded by friends in the region. South Korea, Japan and Taiwan are wealthy and powerful nations, and none of them are friendly to Chinese interests.
China’s only real ally in the region is North Korea, which would be unable to assist China in any meaningful way.
Not to mention, these nations are some of the most populous nations in the world and have hundreds of millions of people living close to their borders. Any conflict would not be a tidy affair and would result in massive collateral damage.
We are already seeing the disastrous results of war between major nations. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the death toll of both soldiers and civilians should serve as a reminder of the cost of war on this scale.
Just imagine how terrible a major war in the Far East would be!
Finally, there is the fact that any war in east Asia would not be an isolated affair. China’s regional adversaries have powerful friends, especially the United States. And the United States is committed to protecting its allies in Asia.
Any conflict between China and its regional allies, therefore, would likely result in a war between China and the West, which would be a disaster for both sides.
South Korea’s latest test might make China remember that it is bordered by adversaries and that they have powerful friends in the West. An attack by China on one of those nations could lead to catastrophe.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
