N Korea at crossroads

North Korea's missile launch spree shows Kim Jong Un's hand

Pyongyang times tests to threaten but not doom future diplomacy, economy hopes

20220119 NK

(Nikkei montage/Reuters/KCNA)

HIROSHI MINEGISHI, Nikkei senior staff writer
January 19, 2022 18:53 JST

TOKYO -- It is still January but North Korea has already launched four missiles this year. With Kim Jong Un's regime still on high alert amid the COVID-19 pandemic, what is the supreme leader trying to achieve with these missile launches and why now?

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