The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 15th, 2024: North Korea's Hypersonic Provocation & 100 Days In Captivity For Hamas Hostages

Episode Date: January 15, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     North Korea claims they have successfully fired a ballistic missile outfitted with a hypersonic warhead, ahead of a diplomatic summit between North Korean leaders and Russia. We’ll also provide an update on the more than 130 hostages still being held by Hamas, who have now spent 100 days in captivity. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Start your day off with a terrific cup of American-made Blackout Coffee. Family-owned, premium coffee, fresh-roasted, and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to blackout coffee.com, promo code PDB, for 20% off your first purchase. It's Monday, January 15th. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, we'll look at the latest updates from the Korean Peninsula, which has seen another provocative

ballistic missile test by Kim Jong-un ahead of a diplomatic summit between North Korean leaders and Russia. Also, after 100 days in captivity, we'll discuss where things stand for the more than 130 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza and how their families are reacting. But first, our afternoon spotlight. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is already making good on his New Year's promise to escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula with a fresh ballistic missile test. Well, look at him, sticking to his New Year's resolutions like a boss.

North Korea's state media claimed on Monday that the regime successfully fired an intermediate range missile outfitted with a hypersonic warhead. South Korea's military had previously confirmed the launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea on Sunday. the test is reportedly part of Kim Jong-un's pursuit of more powerful and elusive weapons that could be used to strike remote U.S. targets in the Pacific, such as bases in Guam and Japan, according to a report from the Associated Press. North Korea began testing hypersonic technology back in 2021, and any breakthrough with the technology would further complicate the

already fraught diplomatic situation in the region. For their part, North Korea said the launch did not pose a security threat to Japan or South Korea. Their state media claims it was simply meant to test the capabilities of, quote, new multi-stage, high-thrust, solid fuel engines, and an intermediate range hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead, end quote. Yeah, it certainly doesn't sound like a security threat. Such a warhead is designed to evade traditional missile defense systems, moving at speeds in excess of Mach 5 or five times the speed of sound. The regime, however, did not miss the opportunity to lash out at the U.S. and South Korea. In a state media article, they accused South Korea of destabilizing security in the region

through increased military drills with the U.S., warning, quote, even a little spark can be a catalyst for enormous physical conflicts between the two most hostile countries, referring to the U.S. and South Korea. Now, this comes less than a week, after Kim Jong-un, to South Korea as its principal enemy, and said his regime will not hesitate to use their nuclear weapons if provoked. Clearly, one of Kim's New Year's resolutions was not be less provocative. Analysts are growing increasingly concerned by North Korea's belligerents, particularly after Kim vowed never to reunify with South Korea and reclassified them as a separate enemy

state during a year-end meeting with military leaders. The isolationist move topples decades of international precedence regarding Korean relations. Observers fear that the diplomatic overhaul could be used by North Korea to justify a nuclear strike on South Korea in the future. It also comes as North Korea's foreign minister leads a delegation this week to Russia to further deepen their already tight and mutually dependent military relationship. As we've discussed on the PDB, North Korea has been supplying Vladimir Putin's diminished military with ballistic missiles, which Putin's been putting to use in Ukraine.

That activity has sparked condemnation from the U.S. and allies, despite the expected denials from Russia and North Korea. Their latest test launch is sure to draw more rebukes from the international community and the UN National Security Council, not that Kim actually cares. In fact, one of his New Year's resolutions was, remember not to care about UN Security Council resolutions. His regime has been aggressively escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, ever since launching a spy satellite in November aboard an ICBM. Since then, we've seen the collapse of a 2018 inter-Korean pact, renewed military activity along the DMZ, and several provocative ICBMLLLLLBM.

launches by the Kim regime. All right, coming up after the break, we'll discuss the bleak prospects facing the more than 130 hostages still being held by the Iran-sponsored Hamas terrorist group, who have now spent 100 days in captivity. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. This weekend marked 100 days since Hamas launched its deadly and brutal terror attacks on southern Israel.

That also means that those hostages still held by Hamas, including as many as six Americans, have now spent 100 days in custody. So I wanted to take a moment to review where things stand right now. During the October 7th attack, Hamas and other Gaza militants, including Palestinian Islamic jihad, captured approximately 250 people. Although the temporary truce in November led to the release of over 100 hostages, more than 130 individuals remain in custody. This remaining group is comprised of 111 men, 19 women, and two children. Additionally, the remains of about two dozen hostages who either died or were killed are also still in Gaza. The prolonged captivity of these hostages is understandably causing increasing desperation and anger among their families, and that frustration

is increasingly being directed towards the Israeli government seen as failing to secure the release of their loved ones. This weekend, the families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip held a 24-hour rally in Tel Aviv, demanding that their government bring their loved ones home. Thousands gathered at what's been dubbed hostage square. It's a central plaza opposite Israel's defense ministry, and the location has become something of a focal point

for those demanding the return of their family members. One of the speakers at the event was Israeli President Isaac Herzog. However, the reception was anything but friendly. According to reports, many of the audience screamed now, now, at the president and drowned out a speech with a chorus of booze. Nearby, anti-government demonstrators, calling for new elections, blocked a major Tel Aviv highway, resulting in clashes with police, arrests, and attempts to disperse the crowd. Other protesters moved toward Prime Minister and Benjamin Netanyahu,

private residence demanding his dismissal. Meanwhile, Hamas made a concerning announcement this weekend, claiming to have lost contact with some hostages during Israeli shelling of Gaza, raising fears about their safety. In addition, the group is once again showing off its sadistic side. They released a brief video on Sunday featuring three Israeli captives, including 26-year-old Noah Ogamani, who became a symbol of the hostage crisis. After five, footage emerged of her being taken away on a motorcycle. In the video, the captives introduced themselves and plead with the Israeli government to ensure their safe return. The video concluded with a chilling teaser stating, quote, tomorrow we will inform you of their fate. Now, the Israeli government

and military are faced with an almost impossible situation. Save the hostages, limit to every degree possible civilian casualties in Gaza while ensuring the destruction of Hamas, which has vowed to continue doing everything possible to destroy Israel. Hamas and its benefactor Iran, along with Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic jihad, and other proxy groups represent an existential threat to Israel's existence. Yet international pressure continues to build on Israel to cease their operations in Gaza. As we've said before here on the PDB, if this conflict ends with Hamas still controlling Gaza, the only winners will be Hamas and Iran, and terror and violence will continue to define the region. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin from Monday, 15 January.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.