Last Sunday, North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile, which has been declared as a “success” by leader Kim Jong-Un. The South Korean Defence Ministry has stated that the test-fire was meant as an “armed provocation” to new U.S. President Donald Trump to test his response and it was an attempt to gain “global attention [for] the North by boasting its nuclear and missile capabilities.” The Ministry stated that the missile flew 500 KM before falling into the Sea of Japan (East Sea). The North Korean news agency, KCNA, stated that the missile was a medium long-range Pukguksong-2. Last August, KCNA announced that a Pukguksong-1 was test-fired.

The missile test-launch comes after U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis visited Seoul last week and made a statement warning Pyongyang of an “effective and overwhelming” response to any attack on the U.S. or its allies with the use of nuclear weapons. The DPRK has been testing and launching missiles with the goal of creating a nuclear weapon capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. Kim Jong-Un stated in January that they were in the latter stages of creating an ICMB (intercontinental ballistic missile). Analysts and scholars are unsure as to how much progress has been made by the DPRK regarding its nuclear ambitions. As it stands, the DPRK has not successfully test-fired an ICBM. However, the long-range missile launch signals a clear improvement from Pyongyang’s previous short-range missile tests.

The launch prompted an urgent UN Security Council meeting, which was called for by the U.S., South Korea, and Japan that was held on Monday. The missile launch drew strong condemnation from the UN Security Council and its members. In a statement, the UN Security Council said that “the members of the Security Council deplore all the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including these launches.” The statement also “called upon all member states to redouble their efforts to implement fully the measures imposed on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea by the Security Council.” The UN has banned North Korea from the use of ballistic missile technology since 2006, yet these UN resolutions have not halted the North’s nuclear ambitions or activities.

South Korean acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn stated that there would be “corresponding punishment” for the test-launch. In a press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump during a visit to America, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated that the test was “absolutely intolerable.” A few days prior to the UN Security Council meeting, Trump had announced that Japan would have “100%” of America’s support as its “greatest ally” in facing a growing likelihood of a nuclear North Korea. On Monday, Trump stated that North Korea is a “big, big problem.” Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State and former Chief Nuclear Negotiator with North Korea from 2005-2009, Christopher Hill, said on Monday that the missile test was a “dress rehearsal” for a full-sized crisis. Further, he stated that the U.S. will have to work more closely and make more efforts to cooperate with China in the future in order to make progress on the North Korea issue. In the face of a rising possibility of a crisis involving a nuclear North Korea, cooperation, discussion, and negotiation should be prioritized over “punishment,” stronger impositions, or forceful retaliation to provocations with the aim of avoiding potential military conflict.