Saturday's launch comes in the backdrop... of a tug-of-war between North Korea and the U.S. on their nuclear negotiations.
Our Lee Ji-won tells us more about the implications.
North Korea's provocation comes after over a year of denuclearization and peace talks on the Korean Peninsula.
Thus, leading to the question of what Pyeongyang's motive is.
"Their intention is to pressure the United States. Pyeongyang is saying that to prevent strategic provocations, like firing long-range missiles,... the U.S. needs to accept the denuclearization approach it's proposing. In the meantime, the launch also works as a countermeasure against Seoul and Washington's military drills,... including the anti-ballistic missile defense exercise with THAAD."
The expert however, highlighted the need to identify... exactly what the North had fired.
"The long-range missiles and satellites are what trigger the U.S. and new UN sanctions. Short-range missile launches are rather low-level provocations, and the testing of short-range rockets... which are less sophisticated than missiles in terms of precision,... are seen as an even lesser level of provocation."
While the low-key provocation hints... that the North does not wish to burn its bridges completely,... it could also mean, says the expert,... that the regime may be saving the launch of more sophisticated projectiles... in case they need to pile on additional pressure.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un set a year-end deadline for the U.S. to change its stance,... and Shin projects, that unless there is a breakthrough, the North is likely to fire short-range missiles sometime within the year.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has not yet released an official statement regarding the launch,... but U.S. media reports that its National Security Advisor John Bolton has briefed President Trump on the matter.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also said... they will continue to monitor the situation as they see necessary.
And though they aren't likely to change their stance due to Saturday's launch, the expert says they will try to keep the situation from escalating out of control.
"The Trump administration has been proudly mentioning the absence of nuclear tests or missile launches as their achievement in talks with the North. It's going to be more complicated for Trump if the North starts firing long-range missiles and satellites.
But many watchers speculate... that the provocation isn't likely to be helpful in the ongoing denuclearization talks.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
