North Korea’s test-firing of seven mid-range missiles on Saturday, America’s birthday, again demonstrated the ability of the country’s authoritarian regime to grab headlines and defy penalties imposed on it by the United Nations, the U.S. and other countries for its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.
North Korea tests short- and mid-range missiles several times a year and signaled last month that it was preparing new tests by issuing warnings to domestic vessels to avoid certain areas in the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, through July 10.
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Defense analysts in several countries, including the U.S. and South Korea, will take several weeks to determine whether Saturday’s tests showed that North Korea is advancing its ability to carry nuclear warheads on those missiles.North Korea fired the missiles into the Sea of Japan from military posts along its east coast. Last Thursday, North Korea test-fired four short-range missiles from the same locations.
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North Korea’s leaders are able to push forward their weapons program because they show little regard for the impact of weapons-related economic penalties on the country’s people. Moreover, they have South Korea and Japan pinned down militarily by hundreds of missiles and artillery rockets and they have China fearful that their ouster and resulting instability would send many North Koreans into northeastern Chinese provinces.
