North Korea carried out its sixth weapons test of the year on Thursday, according to Seoul, a record in a month since 2019 for Pyongyang which threatens to resume nuclear and long-range missile tests.
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“North Korea fired an unidentified projectile into the East Sea,” also known as the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Pyongyang has carried out a sixth test launch since the start of the year, including hypersonic missiles, and hinted last week that it could resume nuclear and long-range weapons testing – since paused a self-imposed moratorium in 2017.
The last time North Korea tested so many weapons in a month was in 2019, after talks between its leader Kim Jong Un and then-US President Donald Trump broke down.
Since then, talks between the two countries have been deadlocked and the North Korean economy has been bent under severe international sanctions and border closures to protect itself from Covid-19.
Pyongyang has already carried out two cruise missile tests on Tuesday, according to Seoul, which does not fall under current UN sanctions.
North Korea also said it tested hypersonic missiles on January 5 and 11 and ballistic missiles on January 14 and 17.
This series of sanctions-banned tests prompted global condemnation and a closed meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
The United States also imposed new sanctions in response, angering North Korea.
Impressive diversity
Pyongyang has not tested intercontinental ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons even after dialogue with the United States stalled.
These trials come at a delicate time for the region: China, the only major ally of the North Korean regime, is hosting the Winter Olympics in February and South Korea is holding a presidential election in March.
Pyongyang is gearing up to celebrate the 80th birthday of Kim’s father, late leader Kim Jong Il, in February and then the 110th birthday of Kim Il Sung, the country’s founding leader, in April.
Kim Jong Un’s regime is “developing an impressive diversity of offensive weapons despite limited resources and serious economic challenges,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
“Some North Korean tests are aimed at developing new capabilities, especially to evade missile defenses,” he added. “Further launches are intended to demonstrate the readiness and versatility of the missile forces that North Korea has already deployed.”
For the professor, Pyongyang is engaged in “what it perceives as an arms race with Seoul”.
The distances and altitude of Thursday’s tests indicate they are part of regular nuclear-armed North Korea’s military training, said Hong Min, a researcher at the Korea Institute for national unification in Seoul.
But the trials are also “intended to thwart strategic maritime deployment between the United States and South Korea,” he said.
“They also reflect Pyongyang’s message to the international community: these trainings are part of the exercise of its sovereignty and the outside world does not have to talk about it”.
The diplomatic cost of these recent tests is indeed minimal for the North Korean leader thanks to strong support from Beijing, which has blocked efforts to include short-range missile tests under sanctions.