Ballistic Missiles: Are North Korea's Extraordinary Missile Tests an Expression of Resentment with China?

News of North Korea's missile test is being broadcast on media in South Korea

North Korea has fired four missiles in a row in January this year, which is considered unusual.

In the latest missile test, two short-range ballistic missiles were fired into the sea off the coast of Japan on Monday.

The South Korean military says the missiles were fired from an airport near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. Japan has also confirmed this experience.

It should be noted that North Korea has been banned from testing ballistic and nuclear-capable weapons by the United Nations and sanctions have been imposed.

But North Korea has periodically violated the ban. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has announced that he will strengthen his country's defense.

North Korea announced on Friday that it had tested a short-range ballistic missile fired from a train, while two more tests were carried out a few days later. These were hypersonic missiles that are difficult to trace.

Why is North Korea firing missiles at the moment?

The number and timing of North Korea's missile tests in January are both extraordinary.

North Korea typically conducts such experiments when there is an event of political significance in the country or when it is intended to express resentment over military exercises between the United States and South Korea.

According to Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, North Korea generally conducts weapons tests to improve its missile capabilities and prepare for war, and recent experiments point in that direction.

Ankit Panda said that at the same time Kim Jong-un has to take care of some internal affairs. "At a time when the state is facing fiscal intricacies, such a practice sends a message from them that the state's defense needs cannot be overlooked."

It should be noted that North Korea is currently facing one of the worst economic crises as well as food shortages. One reason for this is the self-imposed sanctions that have cut off trade with neighboring China to protect Corona, even though China is a key political and economic ally of North Korea. According to some reports, trade with China is likely to resume in the coming days.

Kim Jong-un has acknowledged in recent days that his country is currently in a life-and-death struggle, but at the same time he has announced an increase in defense capabilities, including hyper-sonic missile capabilities.

It should be noted that the dialogue between North Korea and the United States, which has been stalled since Biden was elected President. The United States desires North Korea to quit its nuclear weapons. Last week, in response to a North Korean experiment, President Joe Biden's administration announced sanctions on North Korea for the first time.

North Korea's missile test on Monday could also be a response to US sanctions, according to Park Won-Goon; an expert on North Korean studies at Eva Women's University, The main point is that North Korea will not allow the United States to impose its will on it.