MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2020) By its latest test of short-range missile tests, North Korea is seeking to attract the attention of the United States and lay the ground for a possible resumption of nuclear talks in the future, while also demonstrating its remaining adherence to arrangements with the US about refraining from ballistic missile and nuclear tests, experts told Sputnik.
Early on Sunday, North Korea fired two projectiles towards the Sea of Japan. According to the South Korean military, they flew 230 kilometers (about 143 miles), and the maximum altitude was 30 kilometers. The next day, North Korea's state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper wrote that the launches were a test of a "super-large" multiple rocket launcher. The outlet described them as a success.
Also on Monday, the state-run Korean Central news Agency released a statement of a North Korean Foreign Ministry official responsible for negotiating with the United States who said that Pyongyang had lost interest in further dialogue with Washington. This comes after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters following the G7 ministerial talks on March 25 that the group and other countries should remain committed to applying pressure on the Asian country.
The message that North Korea sends by its latest missile tests is two-fold, James Edward Hoare, a research associate at London's school of Oriental and African Studies and former senior UK diplomat in Pyongyang, told Sputnik.
"One is: 'Look, we are not sitting back and waiting for something from others. Whatever problems we have, defense remains the priority, so do not think that because the DPRK [North Korea] may have some concerns about the health of the people, we are not determined to remain strong and independent,'" Hoare said.
Another message, according to the expert, is that Pyongyang abides by the pledge to the United States to refrain from testing ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs.
"They seem to think clearly that [US President Donald] Trump is still someone with whom they might be able to strike a deal. The low-level testing that they are doing is advancing knowledge and understanding," he said.
NORTH KOREA UNLIKELY TO CROSS REDLINES
Dr. Sangsoo Lee, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Security and Development Policy and head of the Stockholm Korea Center, in turn, noted that North Korea was opting for solely short-range missile tests since intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or nuclear tests would prompt the US to impose new sanctions and increase its presence on the Korean peninsula.
"Therefore, North Korea is not likely to across this redline by conducting an ICBM test before the US presidential election in order to keep an opportunity for the future negotiation with Trump," Lee told Sputnik.
The expert also asserted that North Korea believed that such demonstrations of military capabilities as the firing of short-range missiles were necessary "to gain the US attention back to them after the failure of nuclear negotiation with the US," even though Pyongyang does not appear to be interested in resuming talks for a while. At the same time, the escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula by continuing tests of strategic weapons could be North Korea's attempt to improve its negotiating positions in the future.
"By rising the military tensions, during future negotiation, North Korea will bring up more security issues related to the military on the Korean Peninsula and additional compensations � Pyongyang would ask the US to guarantee North Korea's national and regime security," Lee said.
Additionally, such tests have a domestic purpose and align with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's earlier pledges to develop strategic weapons, according to the expert.
"For the domestic reason, North Korea needs to continue building military capabilities as part of efforts to enhance self-defense power and solder motivation. The recent tests were in line with this strategy and in a way to get some useful technical information for new strategic weapons," Lee said.
The latest missile testing, at the same time, might be pursuing another domestic goal � showing the regime's strength amid the possible impact of the pandemic of the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, according to Hoare.
"The test also shows that whatever problems the country is going through � and we are not sure what effect the virus is having � the leader is still in charge and still has the defense interests of the country as a priority," he said.
Denuclearization negotiations between the United States and North Korea have been stalled since Trump and the North Korean leader met in Hanoi in February 2019 where they failed to reach a deal.
Pyongyang has been seeking concessions in Washington's stance ever since, giving its vis-a-vis a year-end deadline to restart nuclear talks. After the US ignored the deadline, Kim vowed that Pyongyang would continue developing strategic weapons.
