TOKYO -- The assassination of Kim Jong Nam on Feb. 13 at Kuala Lumpur airport has caused both alarm and bewilderment throughout the international community.
While most of the world has been gripped by the increasingly bizarre nature of an attack that sounds like something from the pages of a spy novel, Japan, the U.S., South Korea and other neighboring countries have far greater concerns.
A test launch of Pyongyang's latest intermediate-range ballistic missile, the Pukguksong-2, was conducted the day before the murder and, based on video and image analysis, the technology has made more progress than expected.
North Korea's neighbors are growing increasingly wary of Kim Jong Un retreating further into international isolation and carrying out more provocative action when joint U.S.-South Korea military drills get underway in March and April. The North Korean leader, for his part, will also be keeping an anxious eye on the first military exercises conducted under President Donald Trump.
The reclusive state fired ballistic missiles throughout 2016, with the total number for the year exceeding 20. However, no launch had been confirmed in nearly four months since Oct. 20.
The general view is that North Korea has been playing the waiting game since Trump won the presidency in November.
That speculation would appear to be backed up by the fact that the latest launch coincided with the first meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Trump. Before the meeting, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis had visited Japan and South Korea, where he confirmed his country's commitment to a united front against North Korea.
Whenever, wherever
Video footage of the launch of the Pukguksong-2 was released the next day. It is an upgraded land-based version of the Pukguksong submarine-launched ballistic missile, which was test-fired in August 2016.
Foreign ministers from Japan, the U.S. and South Korea agreed to step up pressures on North Korea on Feb. 16 in Bonn, Germany. (Kyodo)
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