North Korea Increased Missile Testing While the World Was Distracted by the Pandemic
An analysis of the North Korean missile test dataset.
In the midst of a pandemic-fueled depression, it’s easy to forget a looming threat: North Korea.
Besides reigning over a violent dictatorship, Kim Jong Un possesses a nuclear and ballistic arsenal, including missiles with a global range.
I analyzed a North Korean missile test dataset using the no-code tool Apteo to better understand this threat.
36 Years of Belligerence
The dataset spans missile tests from April 1984 to March of this year, when 9 tests were conducted. North Korea only seriously started COVID-19 tests in April. Clearly, we know what their priorities are.
We can see that they’ve been ramping up their missile testing in the last few years. Further, they’re focusing on SRBMs — or Short-Range Ballistic Missiles.
These were the only missiles tested in 2020, while 2016 and 2017 saw more MRBMs (medium-range ballistic missiles) and IRBMs (intermediate-range ballistic missiles).
