North Korea has conducted a number of long-range ballistic missile tests in 2022, breaking a self-imposed moratorium in place since 2018, amid a period of detente during the Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump administrations.
Pyongyang began a carefully choreographed stratagem in January 2022 with an announcement at the eighth Korean Workers’ Party Central Committee that it would resume “all temporarily-suspended activities.” Initially, North Korea test-fired medium-range and cruise missiles. After a pause in February, coinciding with the Beijing Winter Olympics, matters were escalated with a series of ICBM launches over the following months.
The firing of upgraded missiles using diversified launching methods demonstrated significant technological and tactical advancement. Meanwhile, reports that the nuclear test site in Punggyeri has been restored have led to speculation that a next step may be a seventh nuclear test.