North Korea Continues to Launch Missiles to Attract the World’s Attention

The United Nations recently criticized Pyongyang for conducting seven missile launches in 12 days. However, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA slyly argued that it neither compromised the safety of civil aviation nor threatened neighboring countries.

 As evidenced by North Korea’s recent missile launches and drills, Kim Jong Un is determined to increase his nuclear arsenal despite international sanctions. Strategically, Pyongyang’s more arbitrary behavior results from global political instability, which allows it to provoke its neighbors without fear of further sanctions.

 In addition, the continuation of the war in Ukraine has opened the door to closer ties between Pyongyang and Moscow. At the same time, North Korea is taking full advantage of the growing tensions between China and the United States to develop its military forces vigorously.

 The South Korean military condemned North Korea’s missile launches as a severe provocation to peace in the Indo-Pacific region, noting that they violate UN Security Council resolutions. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a phone call with South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol that North Korea’s continued missile launch is a provocative act that will not be tolerated.