Kim Jong-un is in no mood to calm down

South Korean voters will be among the more than four billion people going to the polls this year. With a huge potential range of outcomes, North Korea will be watching closely.

The annual new year fireworks and pop concert in Pyongyang’s Kim Il-sung Square concluded five days of high-level meetings of Kim Jong-un’s Workers’ Party of Korea. The leader’s message was severe. Kim made clear how dialogue with Washington and Pyongyang was off the table, and the North would seek to ‘crush’ what it has long-termed the ‘hostile power’ of the United States. Firmly in line with his pledge in January 2021, Kim underscored how the North would accelerate its development of conventional and unconventional weaponry, including nuclear weapons, missile delivery systems, but also satellite and drone technology. He promised to launch at least three satellites this coming year, which offer useful opportunities for the country to test missile technology, whilst, of course, being in clear violation of international sanctions.