The intervals between North Korea's missile tests are getting shorter and shorter.

According to South Korean sources, the regime fired two short-range missiles again on Monday.

According to Pyongyang, it was only on Friday that it launched two short-range missiles from rail vehicles.

A few days earlier, it had twice tested what it called hypersonic missiles.

As with everything North Korea does, one can only speculate as to the reasons for its activity.

Friederike Böge

Political correspondent for China, North Korea and Mongolia.

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"The reason they increased the testing frequency is probably because North Korea feels less political pressure to back off from missile testing," said arms expert Zhao Tong of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank in Beijing.

On the one hand, the US is distracted by the threat of war in Ukraine and the conflict with Russia.

"North Korea probably believes that this is a safe time to quickly advance its missile program," Zhao told the FAZ

No concessions on the nuclear program

On the other hand, Pyongyang is now well aware that the USA under Joe Biden would not relax sanctions against North Korea as long as the country made no concessions on its nuclear program. "Without prospects for a diplomatic breakthrough, North Korea has less reason to behave in order to keep a door open for talks." A rapprochement with South Korea is also not to be expected in the near future. Hopes for diplomatic talks on the sidelines of the Olympic Games have become superfluous with North Korea's cancellation at the latest. South Korea will also elect a new president in March.

Monday's missile test was conducted from Pyongyang's Sunan Airport, South Korea said. The two projectiles flew 380 kilometers and 42 kilometers high before falling into the sea, according to the General Staff in Seoul. A staffer told Yonhap news agency that the goal appears to be to improve the ability to launch rockets in quick succession with increasing accuracy. North Korea itself justified the previous rocket launches from rail vehicles by wanting to test the operational capability of a rail-based system in order to then deploy it in various provinces. The development of such a system was announced in September.

North Korea probably doesn't have to fear China's displeasure, although the timing of the escalation shortly before the Olympic Games is not exactly convenient for Beijing.

Most recently, China blamed the US, and not North Korea, for the escalation.

A sign of the probably calm atmosphere between Beijing and Pyongyang is the resumption of border traffic.

On Sunday, after almost two years, a train left North Korea for the Chinese border city of Dandong.

The Reuters news agency quoted Chinese traders as having been informed that the border would be open to freight traffic again from Monday.