North Korea’s nuclear ambitions are growing faster than ever

While some people start the day with a bowl of cereal, North Korea chose to greet Thursday with the launch of a ballistic missile. The missile, believed to have intercontinental capabilities, failed mid-flight, but it was nonetheless significant. North Korea fired it on the second consecutive day of weapons testing held by the country this week: on those two days it launched more missiles than it had done in the entirety of 2017, with over 23 missiles and over 100 artillery shells on Wednesday alone.

North Korea’s missile test caused international havoc. South Korean news broadcasts were interrupted by air raid sirens urging the population to seek shelter; Japan issued evacuation alerts to residents on Honshū, the country’s largest island. Whilst it was initially thought that Thursday’s missile had flown over Japanese territory, as has become commonplace, Japan’s defence minister later confirmed this had not happened. The missile had, in fact, landed in the East Sea.