Pyongyang's missile tests gain pace amid diversions

Significance

This comes during a particularly bumpy transition in Seoul from an outgoing administration to a new one. President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s five-year term starts on May 10.

Impacts

• Pyongyang is testing Yoon, a conservative who talks tough but has no political experience.
• The Biden administration is unlikely to prioritise North Korea or engage in creative diplomacy, for instance on arms control.
• A satellite launch is probably coming, and is not just a cover for ICBM testing.
• Pyongyang's latest missile advances will spur a major revision of US-South Korea battle plans.