Things haven't gone badly for Kim Jong-un in the past few days.
South Korea has failed to shoot down even one of the drones the North Korean leader sent south over Christmas.
In doing so, he demonstrated once again that his entire energy belongs to the development of the military in North Korea.
The fact that Kim nevertheless spoke of a "challenging" situation for his country at the meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party reveals where the real problems lie.
The food supply is precarious at best, and the economy is suffering as borders remain closed.
Improvement is not in sight.
The international sanctions against the nuclear weapons program remain in force.
Not even the countless military provocations of the past few months have been able to change that.
And Kim's "new goals" for improving defense aren't likely to change the root problem.
The dictator, who has never been denied a wish in his whole life, does not want (and cannot) understand that he can only get a peace treaty in return for real nuclear disarmament.
That's why he's maneuvering himself and the country further towards the economic abyss.
This is not good news for other countries either.