North Korea on Sunday fired what appeared to be the most deadly missile it has tested since President Joe Biden took office, as it revives its old playbook in brinkmanship to wrest concessions from Washington and neighbours amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy.
The flight details suggest the North tested its longest-range ballistic missile since 2017, after it twice flew intermediate-range ballistic missiles over Japan and, separately, three intercontinental ballistic missiles that demonstrated the potential to reach deep into the American homeland.
Calling an emergency National Security Council meeting South Korean President Moon Jae described the test as a possible mid-range ballistic missile launch that brought North Korea to the brink of breaking its 2018 self-imposed moratorium on the testing of nuclear devices and longer-range missiles.
Moon said the situation around the Korean Peninsula is beginning to resemble 2017 when North Korea's provocative run in nuclear and long-range missile testing resulted in an exchange of war threats between Kim and then-President Donald Trump.
Moon's efforts to reach out to North Korea derailed after the collapse of the second Kim-Trump meeting in 2019 when the Americans rejected North Korea's demand for high sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the United States condemned North Korea's testing activity and called on Pyongyang to refrain from further destabilizing acts.
"North Korea is launching a frenzy of missiles before the start of the Beijing Olympics, mostly as military modernization efforts. Pyongyang also wants to boost national pride as it gears up to celebrate political anniversaries in the context of economic struggles," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
North Korea has justified its testing activity as an exercise of its right to self-defence.
