Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Pyongyang has been concentrating on ways to make North Korea a greater priority in US foreign policy.
According to a high-ranking Daily NK source in North Korea, North Korean authorities believe the Russo-Ukraine War is generating an unfavorable environment for Pyongyang’s foreign policy.
This means the war in Ukraine is a problem because North Korea finds itself on the back burner of the international community, including the US.
In particular, the source said North Korea’s intensive missile launches this year have largely aimed to influence US foreign policy.
North Korea has launched about nine armed provocations since the country launched a ballistic missile from Chagang Province on Jan. 5.
On Saturday, North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the East Sea, ostensibly to test a launch vehicle for a reconnaissance satellite. This was just six days after the country launched a medium-range ballistic missile from somewhere near Pyongyang’s Sunan Airbase into the East Sea on Feb. 27.
“The DPRK National Aerospace Development Administration [NADA] and the Academy of Defence Science conducted another important test on Saturday under the plan of developing a reconnaissance satellite,” reported the KCNA on Sunday. “Through the test, the NADA confirmed the reliability of the data transmission and reception system of the satellite, its control command system and various ground-based control systems.”
Ostensibly, the missile launch was to help develop a reconnaissance satellite. But because it is possible to immediately convert a rocket into an ICBM just by changing its payload, the launch amounted to a strategic message aimed at the US.
North Korea is essentially using opportune timing to provoke a response from the US, neutralizing red lines and winning recognition as a nuclear power.
Despite this, the international community — including the US — has leveled no additional sanctions that could directly affect Pyongyang.
The UN Security Council convened two emergency meetings on Feb. 4 and Feb. 28 to discuss North Korea’s missile provocations. However, these meetings produced little because of Chinese and Russian opposition.
The UN Security Council is now unlikely to place additional sanctions on North Korea with the Ukraine crisis bringing tensions between the US and Russia to the fore, along with tensions between the US and China.
In North Korea, the authorities continue to push propaganda that underscores the importance of bolstering national defense.
Within the North Korean military, the authorities are educating soldiers to believe that Pyongyang can maintain peace only by strengthening its defensive power through nuclear weapons.
The source said the authorities have been calling for bolstering North Korea’s “independent national defense” much more since the war in Ukraine began. He said officials stress that Ukraine demonstrates how “peace rests upon guns and swords.”
The UN Security Council held a closed door meeting on Monday to discuss North Korea’s missile provocations. However, the body failed to adopt a press statement because of Chinese and Russian noncooperation.
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