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North Korea joins China and Russia in opposing Trump's ‘Golden Dome’ anti-missile project

The North Korean regime claims the U.S. defense system is a provocation that will lead to an arms race in space.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un oversees military maneuvers.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un oversees military maneuvers.AFP / KCNA.

Juan Peña
Published by
Juan Peña

The North Korean regime has criticized the American project known as the "Golden Dome," a missile defense initiative unveiled in May by the White House.

The system, valued at $175 billion, envisions the deployment of hundreds of satellites linked to weapons systems to intercept ballistic missiles before they reach U.S. soil. Washington has called it a "total defensive shield" against nuclear threats from North Korea, Iran, China and Russia.

Through its state agency, the North Korean regime on Tuesday called the plan "a hostile provocation" and "a scenario of nuclear war in space." The North Korean Foreign Ministry added that the defensive strategy was actually an "attempt to militarize outer space" and "preemptively achieve military superiority in every way."

China has also expressed its rejection. From Beijing, a Foreign Ministry spokesman accused the United States of "militarizing outer space" and "breaking global strategic balances."

An Iron Dome for the United States

The "Golden Dome" system is inspired by the Israeli Iron Dome, although adapted to the space environment and with a global reach. While the Iron Dome intercepts short-range rockets via ground-based radars and Tamir missiles, the U.S. version proposes an orbital network of satellites armed with infrared sensors and kinetic projectiles.

These devices would be capable of detecting launches in real time and neutralizing ballistic missiles in their initial phase, before they leave the atmosphere or during their suborbital trajectory. The proposal seeks to shield the continental United States against attacks from Asia or Eurasia.

The Kremlin has gone further. Russian Chief of General Staff Valeri Gerasimov warned that the project could be considered an "aggressive action" and that Moscow reserves the right to respond "with appropriate technical and military measures."

Russia and China claim that the development of offensive or defensive systems off-planet violates international agreements signed by the major space powers.

The Pentagon insists that it is a "purely defensive" system and has ruled out any violation of international treaties. The Trump administration has defended the project as a "definitive solution" in the face of threats from hostile powers.

The "Golden Dome" has no concrete deployment date yet, but has already provoked a spike in tensions between Washington and its main global adversaries.

Trump invites Canada under the dome if it accepts annexation

Donald Trump, declared Tuesday that Canada could join the United States’ "Golden Dome" missile defense system for free if it becomes part of U.S. territory.

Trump declared that Canada is interested in joining the defense system. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed that his country has held "high-level" talks on the issue.

But Carney, polite but firm, dismissed Trump's calls for Canada to integrate the United States. The country has "never [been] for sale," he said during his visit to the White House earlier this month.

Otherwise, becoming part of the system would cost Canada $61 billion, said Trump, who insists his northern neighbor become the 51st state.

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