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Tennis legend Chris Evert reveals ovarian cancer diagnosis

January 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Former world No. 1 tennis player Chris Evert revealed she is battling Stage 1 ovarian cancer.

Evert shared the news in a Tweet on Friday.

“I wanted to share my stage 1 ovarian cancer diagnosis,” she said. “Thanks to all of you for respecting my need to focus on my health and treatment plan.”

The tennis legend, who made her debut at age 16 at the 1971 U.S. Open and is an 18-time Grand Slam winner who took home 157 singles titles and 32 doubles titles during her career, opened up in depth about her diagnosis in an ESPN article she co-wrote with friend and ESPN journalist Chris McKendry.

In the article, McKendry talks about the moment she learned Evert was diagnosed in a conversation she had with her over text.

“It was short, simple and yet so damn complicated. I got a text on Dec. 7,” McKendry wrote. “My friend Chrissie has cancer. The disease had killed her sister Jeanne. My god.”

McKendry details how Evert was nervous about her diagnosis, which was discovered following a preventive hysterectomy in early December.

“We thought we were being proactive,'” Evert told McKendry. But following the surgery, doctors told Evert that she would need to go back for lymph nodes and tissue samples. The pathology revealed malignant cells and a tumor in Evert’s left fallopian tube.

She had surgery again on Dec. 13 to see if the cancer was in its first or third stage.

During this period of waiting to see what the results were, Evert shared that it reminded her of her younger sister, Jeanne Evert Dubin, who was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

For Dubin, also a former professional tennis player, it was late-stage ovarian cancer and it had spread. She died in February 2020 at the age of 62 after battling the disease for over two years.

Evert said that Dubin tested negative for harmful mutations of the BRCA1 gene.

Mutations in the BRCA1 and 2 genes increase the likelihood for developing breast or ovarian cancer in women, and, to a lesser extent, breast cancer in men, according to the National Cancer Institute, although the BRCA genes are not the only genes associated with breast/ovarian cancer.

The increasing likelihood of developing cancer from a BRCA mutation depends on the type of mutation.

After Jeanne’s diagnosis, the Evert family was notified of a change in the interpretation of Jeanne’s genetic report, which prompted Evert to send her blood for genetic testing. It revealed that she had a variant of the BRCA1 gene, which led her to undergo the preventive hysterectomy.

Evert learned she has stage 1 ovarian cancer, which after chemotherapy, could mean there is a 90% chance the cancer doesn’t return.

“I feel very lucky that they caught it early and expect positive results from my chemo plan,” she wrote on Twitter.

Evert, who is also an analyst for ESPN, will be covering the Australian Open remotely.

She said she hopes her story inspires women and men to be aware of their bodies and to get screened for cancer before it’s too late.

“‘We need to have these conversations,'” Evert told McKendry. “‘Ovarian cancer is a very deadly disease. Any information is power.'”

“‘Be your own advocate. Know your family’s history. Have total awareness of your body, follow your gut and be aware of changes,'” Evert added. “‘Don’t try to be a crusader and think: This will pass.'”

What women should know about ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer originates in the ovaries, which make female hormones and produce eggs, or in the nearby areas of the fallopian tubes and the peritoneum, the tissue that lines your abdominal wall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 78, while her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 108, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Ovarian cancer can affect females of all ages and races but is most common in women ages 63 and older and is more common in white women than Black women, according to the ACS.

While early signs of ovarian cancer can be vague, the main symptoms are abdominal pain or pelvic pain, bloating and an increase in urination, according to the CDC.

It is particularly important for women to pay attention to symptoms of ovarian cancer and speak openly with their doctor because there is currently no reliable way to screen for the disease.

In some cases, targeted use of pelvic scans and sonograms or a CA-125 blood test may be used to detect ovarian cancer, but additional testing is “not one size fits all and it is not recommended for all women,” said ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a board-certified OBGYN.

Treatment for ovarian cancer usually involves a combination of surgery and chemotherapy, according to the CDC.

While there is no known way to prevent ovarian cancer, there are things associated with lowering the risk of getting ovarian cancer, including using birth control for five or more years, having given birth, breastfeeding, having had a hysterectomy, having had your ovaries removed and having had a tubal litigation, according to the CDC.

ABC News’ Katie Kindelan contributed to this report.

Puppies and all-wheel drive: How Subaru built its ardent fan base

January 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Some automakers tout engine performance, cutting-edge technology or exclusivity to attract buyers. Japanese automaker Subaru has a different approach.

In 2019 the company transformed 10,000 square feet of the Javits Convention Center in New York into a state-of-the-art immersive exhibit where Yellowstone’s Old Faithful geyser and Denali’s snowcapped peak were the focus — not the company’s sport utility vehicles.

Deer, foxes and muskrats can be spotted along the walking trails at Subaru’s Indiana facility, the sole U.S. manufacturing plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. Materials on site are either reused, recycled or repurposed and in 2004 the plant achieved zero landfill status — another industry first.

“Business has to have a purpose besides selling cars and making money — it has to make our society better,” Thomas Doll, president and CEO of Subaru of America, Inc., told ABC News. “We pride ourselves that we have that community aspect.”

Subaru, a longstanding partner of the National Parks Foundation, has given more than $68 million to organizations working to conserve national parks and helped fund projects to protect over 85 million acres in 400 national parks. The company also donates millions of dollars to various charities such as Make-A-Wish and ASPCA as part of its “Share the Love” event, now in its 14th year. Shelter puppies are often the stars of Subaru’s auto exhibits and the marque has helped find homes for more than 74,000 rescue animals across the country.

“Subaru’s support of various causes attracts a certain type of buyer and really does contribute to their success,” Ed Kim, president and chief analyst of AutoPacific, told ABC News. “Subaru customers are among the most affluent.”

Industry watchers agree that Subaru could do even more to protect national parks and the planet: Build more EVs. Owners who are eager for an all-electric Subaru will have to wait until later this year, when the Solterra SUV enters production.

“We’re a small company but we’re not afraid of EVs,” Doll said.

Slower road to electric vehicles

The small automaker decided early on to tap into potential markets that were overlooked by mainstream brands, according to Kim.

“It was the first auto brand that actively marketed to the LGBTQ community when no one else was doing that,” he said. “It attracted a lot of LGBTQ customers and became a brand for people who identified with a more progressive mindset.”

Karl Brauer, executive analyst of iSeeCars.com, said Subaru’s aggressive push as a lifestyle utility automaker — one that also offered standard all-wheel drive for its vehicles — was prescient and helped boost sales.

“Subaru made off-road vehicles a core component of its entire brand image a decade or more ahead of the industry,” he told ABC News. “The company decided what it wanted to be and it’s worked really well. It’s cultivated a fairly specific and loyal customer base.”

The company, though, has been surprisingly slow to bring an electric vehicle to the market. Subaru currently only makes one hybrid — the Crosstrek plug-in. In November, it debuted the Solterra, an AWD, emissions-free ute that was developed in partnership with Toyota. The Solterra gets an estimated range of more than 220 miles and produces 215 horsepower from its front and rear electric motors. Sales begin in mid-2022.

“It’s a technically advanced EV that’s versatile and has a lower center of gravity and better handling,” Doll said.

Federal regulations are going to require that Subaru participate in the electric world, according to Stephanie Brinley, an automotive analyst at IHS Markit.

“The company can’t sit out that part of the market,” she told ABC News. “That’s the reality.”

Added Kim: “The mindset of a Subaru customer is so perfect for electrification. They’d be more than happy to pay more for a hybrid or an EV.”

Chip shortages and younger drivers a challenge

The lack of EVs, however, has not caused the company to lose sales nor customers, according to Brauer. What has? The ongoing global chip shortage. Subaru of America delivered 51,146 vehicles in December, a 19.5% plunge from a year ago. In 2021 the brand sold 583,810 vehicles, a 4.6% drop compared to 2020.

“It’s not a demand problem, it’s a supply problem. We’re trying to recover from this microchip shortage which is much worse than [2020],” said Doll. “Retailers are sold out essentially — each dealer has six cars on average. We have car lines that are sold out. It pains me … but there is nothing Subaru can do. We’re not going to produce cars without certain chips or build a car and park it until a chip comes in.”

Kim noted that all automakers are still struggling to build vehicles and stock showrooms as consumer demand soars.

“The chip shortage is real,” he said. “Subaru is suffering like almost everyone else. The product is sought after but Subaru doesn’t have the means to build cars without all these chips.”

Subaru has another obstacle to conquer this year: Getting young drivers to buy its newly revamped BRZ sports car, a slinky, lightweight rear-wheel drive coupe that’s geared toward male drivers in their late 20s and early 30s. Even Doll has questioned how much longer true performance cars, like the BRZ and WRX sedan, can survive in the U.S. But scuttling production of either car is not on the table — for now.

“The BRZ and WRX are gateways to the brand,” said Doll. “And we’re definitely committed to the manual and expect 85% of customers to buy the manual in the BRZ.”

In fact, performance cars and Subaru’s rally racing history have brought dedicated enthusiasts to the brand, who learned about these conveyances from video games and internet groups.

“So many U.S. enthusiasts wanted the WRX — they were screaming for this car — but it took a while for Subaru’s U.S. division to bring these models to the country,” said Kim. “This is a fantastic performance car with a tremendous legacy in rallying.”

He added, “These buyers skew very heavily male and are not political. There is a cultural divide between Subaru’s regular lineup versus its performance lineup.”

Charitable causes, puppies, conservation, AWD — all these factors have solidified Subaru’s position in the hyper competitive automotive industry, according to Brinley. Now Subaru has to accept that it is no longer a niche automaker.

“A lot of customers connect and identify with the brand,” she said. “The constant challenge for Subaru is brand authenticity.”

Beijing 2022 Olympics: Tickets won’t be sold to public due to COVID-19

January 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(BEIJING) — No public tickets will be sold to next month’s Beijing Olympics due to COVID-19, the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee said.

Instead, groups of spectators will be invited to the games, and “the organizers expect that these spectators will strictly abide by the COVID-19 countermeasures before, during and after each event,” the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee said.

The organizing committee said this change is due to the “grave and complicated situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the safety of all participants and spectators.”

The Opening ceremony is set for Friday, Feb. 4.

China is tightening travel restrictions for its capital ahead of the Olympics, requiring all travelers to Beijing to take a nucleic acid test within 72 hours of entry.

The testing rule, which will begin on Jan. 22, was announced after Beijing recorded its first omicron case this weekend in a suburb near many Olympic venues. Health authorities have sealed off the patient’s residential compound and workplace.

ABC News’ Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.

Bob Saget honored by wife, Kelly Rizzo, ’America’s Funniest Home Videos’

January 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Comedian Bob Saget continues to be honored.

After the comedian’s unexpected death last week, he was laid to rest on Friday and, for the first time his widow, Kelly Rizzo, has taken to Instagram to pen a heartfelt tribute to her lost love.

“My sweet husband. After much reflection this week, I’m trying, really trying, to not think I was robbed of time. But instead to think: How lucky was I that I got to be the one to be married to THE MOST INCREDIBLE MAN ON EARTH,” Rizzo wrote alongside a selfie of the couple, who wed in 2018.

“I was the one who got to go on this crazy ride with him and be in his life these last 6 years. We had that time to make each other the happiest we’d ever been and change each other’s lives forever. I got to be the one to love him and cherish him,” she continued. “He deserves all the love. Every ounce of it. Because that’s how amazing Bob was. He was love. If you were in his life you KNEW he loved you. He never missed an opportunity to tell you.”

Rizzo wasn’t the only one remembering “America’s Dad.” America’s Funniest Home Videos also honored Saget, who was a former host of the show, with montage of moments described as “Bob being Bob.”

Before playing the clip, current AFV host Alfonso Ribeiro announced, “As you’ve heard, the world lost a legend last week, and AFV lost a family member.”

“Bob Saget is synonymous with AFV to this day, and this show wouldn’t have been the same without his unique sense of humor,” he continued. “It’s been my honor to continue carrying the torch Bob so brightly lit.”

Britney Spears says she loves Jamie Lynn “unconditionally” after heated public exchange

January 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

It seems as though Britney Spears and her sister Jamie Lynn may be on the road to making up after getting into a heated online exchange.

On Saturday, Britney shared a lengthy Twitter post in which she clarified her feelings about Jamie Lynn, who recently did an interview in which she discussed the singer, their relationship and the past while promoting her upcoming book Things I Should Have Said, out January 18.

“Jamie Lynn… I don’t think your book is about me at all…I said some harsh things because you obviously hurt me by the things you are making up about me,” the “Toxic” singer tweeted.

Britney also clarified, “When I said only a scum person would make up things like that about someone, I could have sworn I said ‘but you’re not.'”

The star added that she loves Jamie “unconditionally,” but seemed confused that her “loyalty is still with the people that hurt me the most!!!”

“I don’t care anymore!!! Say whatever you want to say just know I do know your real heart more than anyone!!!,” Britney continued. “Just know I love you and I think you know that already more than anything!!!”

That same day, Jamie Lynn, 30, responded in an Instagram Story writing, “Britney- Just call me, I have attempted many times to speak to you directly and handle this privately like sisters should, but you still choose to do everything on a public platform,” according to People.

“In the meantime, please stop continuing the narrative that I haven’t been there for you or that I’m making things up. I’m happy to share how many times I’ve reached out to you, supported you and tried to help you. This is embarrassing and has to stop. I love you,” she concluded.

SCOTUS blocking of vaccine mandate ‘a setback for public health’: Vivek Murthy

January 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court’s decision to block the Biden administration’s vaccine-or-test requirement for large private businesses is a “setback for public health,” United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told This Week co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday.

“The news about the workplace requirement being blocked was very disappointing, Martha. It was a setback for public health. Because what these requirements ultimately are helpful for is not just protecting the community at large but making our workplaces safer for workers as well as for customers,” Murthy said.

Raddatz reminded Murthy that before the omicron surge, he had said on This Week that the mandate “was necessary and appropriate.”

“So, what is plan B?” Raddatz pressed.

Murthy did not outline an explicit alternate plan but noted, “there is nothing that stops workplaces from voluntarily putting reasonable requirements in place.”

“Many have done so already,” he said. “A third of the Fortune 100 companies have put these in place and many more outside have, so we are certainly encouraging companies to put these requirements in place voluntarily.”

Some large companies, however, are changing their plans based on the decision. General Electric confirmed to ABC News last week that it would stop implementing a planned vaccine mandate after the Supreme Court ruling.

But Columbia Sportswear said in a statement that it is “disappointed in [Thursday’s] Supreme Court ruling” because it would mean the company would have to deal “with a thicket of conflicting state and local regulations.”

Murthy’s comments come as President Joe Biden’s administration continues to ramp up efforts to stop the spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Senior White House officials said on Friday the administration will launch a new website Wednesday for requesting free at-home rapid COVID tests.

Raddatz pressed the surgeon general on the time it has taken to ramp up the availability of testing in the United States.

“Dr. Murthy, I know what you’re doing now, but the question is, why wasn’t it done sooner?” she asked. “You say you always hold out hope, but you plan for the worst. It doesn’t sound like that happened.”

“Well, there was planning, Martha, and there was execution on increasing the supply of tests,” Murthy responded, and the omicron variant of the virus created “an extraordinary increase in demand, Martha, even beyond the incredible increase in supply that we had procured and secured during 2021. And so we have to close that gap.”

Noting the high number of breakthrough infections amid the omicron surge, Raddatz asked Murthy what percent positive U.S. COVID cases, which are at record levels, are among the vaccinated or boosted.

While he didn’t have a percentage breakdown for the current caseload, Murthy said being vaccinated and boosted vastly increases protection from symptomatic infection.

“What we’ve seen from our data, from the United States and from other countries, is that if you are vaccinated and boosted, your level of protection against symptomatic infection is in the around 75 to 80% range,” he said. “So that’s not 100%; it still means that they’re about, is about 20% of possibility there in terms of positive cases, despite being, despite being vaccinated, compared to an unvaccinated population… that still shows a very strong efficacy overall against preventing symptomatic disease.”

‘Scream’ dethrones ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ with $30.6 million box office debut

January 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

‘Scream’ dethrones ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ with .6 million box office debut

Paramount Pictures’ fifth Scream film scared up an estimated $30.6 million at the box office to dethrone Spider-Man: No Way Home, which held the top spot for the past four weeks. The horror flick, with returning stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, is expected to deliver an estimated $35 million factoring in Monday’s Martin Luther King holiday.

The aforementioned Spider-Man: No Way Home slipped to second place — though the web-slinger has nothing to complain about. The film took in an estimated $20.8 million between Friday and Sunday, and by the end of Monday the latest Spider-Man film should pass $700 million stateside, good enough for fourth place on the list of highest-grossing domestic releases of all time, behind Avatar‘s $760.5 million, Avengers: Endgame with $858.4 million and Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens with $936.7 million.

Finishing in third place was Universal’s Sing 2 with an estimated $8.3 million between Friday and Sunday. It’s projected to finish the long weekend with $11 million. The animated musical has earned $119.4 million to date here in the States to go along with $96.3 million internationally, bringing its four-week worldwide total to $215.7 million.

The female-led thriller, The 335, continued to struggle, finishing fourth in its second week of release with an estimated $2.3 million. The film has collected a total of $8.4 million domestically, and $2.6 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $11 million.

Rounding out the top five was The King’s Man, finishing just percentage points behind with an estimated $2.3 million. It is projected to make $3 million by the end of Monday. The King’s Man’s domestic box-office total now sits at $28.7 million. The movie has grabbed $63.8 million overseas, putting its worldwide tally at $92.5 million.

British police arrest two teens in probe of hostage-taking incident at Texas synagogue

January 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Two teenagers have been arrested in England as part of an ongoing investigation into Saturday’s hostage-taking incident at a synagogue in the United States, British authorities said.

The pair were detained in southern Manchester on Sunday evening and “remain in custody for questioning,” according to a statement from the Greater Manchester Police.

The arrests were made in connection with a 10-hour standoff between American authorities and a hostage-taker at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, about 27 miles northwest of Dallas. An armed man claiming to have planted bombs in the synagogue interrupted Shabbat services on Saturday just before noon local time, taking a rabbi and three other people hostage, according to Colleyville Police Chief Michael Miller.

One hostage was released uninjured at around 5 p.m. CT. An elite hostage rescue team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation breached the synagogue at about 9 p.m. local time and rescued the remaining hostages, Miller told a press conference Saturday night. The suspect, identified by the FBI as 44-year-old British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, died in a “shooting incident,” according to Miller and FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matt DeSarno, neither of who provided further details.

Multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News that the initial indication is that Akram was shot and killed by the FBI team. The FBI said in a statement Sunday that its Shooting Incident Review Team “will conduct a thorough, factual, and objective investigation of the events.”

A motive for the incident is under investigation.

Assistant Chief Constable Dominic Scally of the Greater Manchester Police said in a statement Sunday that counterterrorism officers are assisting their U.S. counterparts in the probe. Akram was from the Blackburn area of Lancashire, about 20 miles northwest of Manchester, according to Scally.

During the negotiations with law enforcement, Akram “spoke repeatedly about a convicted terrorist who is serving an 86-year prison sentence in the United States on terrorisms charges,” the FBI said in a statement Sunday.

“This is a terrorism-related matter, in which the Jewish community was targeted, and is being investigated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force,” the agency added. “Preventing acts of terrorism and violence is the number one priority of the FBI. Due to the continuing investigation we are unable to provide more details at this time.”

Multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News that the suspect was demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, who is incarcerated at Carswell Air Force Base near Fort Worth, about 16 miles southwest of Colleyville. Siddiqui, who has alleged ties to al-Qaida, was sentenced to 86 years in prison after being convicted of assault as well as attempted murder of an American soldier in 2010.

President Joe Biden told reporters Sunday that he was briefed on the incident at the Texas synagogue by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Biden said the suspect had only been in the country for a couple of weeks and spent at least one night in a homeless shelter. The man was armed with a gun, which he allegedly purchased on the street, when he entered the synagogue, but investigators have found no evidence that he was in possession of explosives, according to Biden.

“This was an act of terror,” Biden said.

ABC News’ Luke Barr, Meredith Deliso, Bill Hutchinson, Aaron Katersky and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

Kanye West reportedly crashes Kim Kardashian’s party for Chicago, then throws his own

January 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

After Kanye West made claims that estranged wife Kim Kardashian would not let him into their daughter Chicago‘s birthday party, the rapper reportedly crashed it and then threw a party of his own for the four-year-old.

“Yo, I’m so happy right now,” the Yeezy designer, 44, said in an Instagram video on Saturday, per Hollywood Unlocked. “I just came from Chi’s party and I just gotta shout out to Travis Scott for sending me the address and the time and making sure that I was able to spend that birthday memory with my daughter to be there with the rest of the family.” He also thanked Kylie Jenner.

While Ye expressed his happiness for spending time with his youngest daughter on her special day, an insider who was close to the former couple told Page Six, “He was always having his own party for Chicago. He had it at 4 p.m. at his office downtown [in Los Angeles] that he planned, so it’s so frustrating he crashed Kim’s party and created this narrative that he wasn’t invited.”

The birthday debacle wasn’t the only drama for the Donda rapper this weekend. The day before, on Friday, he and fellow rapper Game‘s new collaboration leaked and in it Ye makes reference to his divorce from Kim and her new beau Pete Davidson.

“We havin’ the best divorce ever / If we go to court, we’ll go to court together / Matter of fact, pick up your sis, we’ll go to Kourt’s together” he raps on the track. Elsewhere he adds, “God saved me from the crash, just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s a**.”

North Korea launches fourth missile test in two weeks

January 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(SEOUL, South Korea) — North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea Monday morning, its fourth test in less than a month.

“South Korea’s military detected two projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles launched into the East Sea to the northeast from the Sunan Airfield in Pyongyang, North Korea, around 08:50 a.m. and 08:54 a.m.,” South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff told reporters Monday.

The missiles traveled about 236 miles and reached an altitude of about 26 miles, said South Korea’s military, which was analyzing details of the launch.

It was the fourth missile launch this year, following two self-claimed hypersonic missile tests on Jan. 5 and Jan. 11 and last Friday’s short-range ballistic missile that the secluded regime’s state news agency, KCNA, claimed was launched from a rail car.

Pyongyang’s consecutive showcases of its military capabilities came as the United States discussed sanctions on North Korea’s nuclear program.

“North Korea probably believes they pulled out a response from the U.S. by firing hypersonic missiles in the new year because the U.S. acted with new sanctions,” Moon Keun-sik, a military expert at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, told ABC News. “North Korea claims that ballistic missile test-launch is a part of the training, but it also acknowledges that their action is a UN violation.”

North Korea has said its weapons development is a rightful act of self-defense. The country blames the U.S. for escalated tensions.

“The DPRK’s recent development of new-type weapon was just part of its efforts for modernizing its national defense capability. Nevertheless, the U.S. is intentionally escalating the situation even with the activation of independent sanctions, not content with referring the DPRK’s just activity to the UN Security Council,” KCNA said on Friday, citing North Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

North Korea expressed open discontent about the sanctions imposed last Wednesday on North Korean individuals and entities who support the country’s ballistic-missile program.

“We could say that the situation has escalated as the United States took out the sanctions card in response to North Korea’s recent missile test launch,” Kim Yong-hyun, professor of North Korean studies at Seoul-based Dongguk University, told ABC News. “Through missile experiments, Kim Jong Un intends to highlight North Korea’s presence while the United States is mainly taking care of Ukraine issues, and at the same time maintain solidarity among their people.”

Some experts saw the recent tests as planned drills on North Korea’s side. Kim Jong Un announced at the 8th Party Congress in January 2021 that the country planned to strengthen its weapon systems, including hypersonic missiles.

“Pyongyang’s missile tests will take rounds and rounds for the next three years, not mainly intended to send a political message, which is only part of the motivation,” Bong Young-shik of Yonsei University told ABC News. “It would be a mistaken belief to think that the North Korea military can be bought out with massive immediate concessions because North Korea is moving on its own schedule by military capability.”

Analysts in South Korea agreed that North Korea was following its own schedule to ramp up military capabilities in a time when there’s a slim chance of negotiating with other countries in person.

“North Korea is in the direction of enhancing the technical completeness of their missile program and knocking on the United States, trying to persuade them they should reach out to North Korea in any way,” Kim told ABC News.

It isn’t the first time North Korea has scaled up in its weapons experiments. Back in 2019, North Korea fired over 20 short-range ballistic missiles between May and November.

ABC News’ Chae Young Oh contributed to this report.

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