The recent successful test of what Pyongyang claimed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile could well be a game changer for U.S. President Donald Trump in his dealing with Kim Jong Un's North Korea, as it put a few hard facts under Washington's nose.
First, North Korea has improved its ballistic missile technologies much faster than expected. Although the latest test-firing did not immediately mean that North Korea had cleared all the technical hurdles to make a fully functional ICBM, many experts stated that Pyongyang's nuclear weapons development program had progressed at a much faster pace than previously thought and that Pyongyang could possess ICBMs equipped with nuclear warheads capable of striking the U.S. mainland within a few years.
Second, the latest missile test, conducted as the United States celebrated Independence Day on July 4, showed that Kim would never give up his nuclear- and missile-development programs until and unless the security of his regime is guaranteed. The North Korean dictator is reportedly so fearful of a possible U.S. attack that he believes that the development of nuclear weapons and ICBMs are the only way to safeguard the survival of his regime.