What to make of North Korea’s historic week of missile tests – Ep. 261

North Korea News Podcast

North Korea set a new record last week when it launched at least 23 missiles in one day, including a short-range projectile that splashed down into waters south of the inter-Korean maritime border, and also sent an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) careening toward Japan. Pyongyang's attempts to frame these escalations as purely defensive mechanisms against what it says are U.S. and South Korean preparations to invade. The allies have carried out a number of joint exercises in recent months, opting to publicize these drills to a much greater degree than in past years. Inter-Korean tensions are now arguably at their highest point since the “fire and fury” days of 2017, and there appear few offramps so long as DPRK leader Kim Jong Un refuses to engage in talks. This week, the NK News team helps unpack these developments while discussing the last month on the Korean Peninsula — from South Korea’s attempts to fish up one of the dozens of missiles North Korea fired into the ocean last week and recent cryptocurrency attacks linked to the notorious Lazarus Group to the latest debates about South Korean nuclearization and the utility of inter-Korean agreements. This week’s episode features Lead Correspondent Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) Analyst James Fretwell (@JamesFretwe11) and Correspondent Shreyas Reddy (@shreyas_k_reddy). About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot (@JaccoZed) exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.