North Korea ICBM test

The steady pace of North Korea’s improving nuclear arsenal paints a very worrying picture about where things are headed on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said the missile launched on March 24 was not Pyongyang’s new Hwasong-17 ICBM, but the older Hwasong-15.  

In response, the U.S. imposed new sanctions on the entities and individuals of North Korea and Russia involved in the North’s missile program. 

Four days after launching artillery pieces, North Korea tested a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday. 

The U.S. and South Korean military defined North Korea’s reconnaissance satellite tests conducted on February 27 and March 5 as a test for its new ICBM system.

In a Politburo meeting held on Wednesday, North Korea implied that its “confidence-building measures” can be withdrawn after the U.S. imposed sanctions over its ballistic missile tests.  

Cold War history -- particularly surrounding Beijing's own nuclear development -- suggests otherwise.

After North Korea’s recent ICBM test, the U.S. dispatched 2 B-1B Lancers for joint drills with Japan and South Korea.