What's North Korea up to?

North Korea recently launched its first ballistic missile of 2024 amid hostile rhetoric aimed at the United States and South Korea.

The move comes in the wake of the joint military drills close to the border involving the use of heavy weaponry – something that Pyongyang has described as an "inferno of nuclear war".

Earlier this month, US military assets were deployed close to the Korean Peninsula, which reportedly included a nuclear missile submarine, aircraft carriers and large bombers.

Amid the rising tensions in the peninsula, North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, also hit out at Washington.

He pledged to increase the country's nuclear footprint in the aftermath to "pacify the South."

On Sunday, North Korea said it had tested a new solid-fuel missile containing a hypersonic warhead in a bid to advance its weaponry development.

The move came as Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui departed for Moscow. Pyongyang continues to sell weapons to Russia that are expected to be used in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted on Tuesday that US foreign policy towards North Korea does not promote peace in the region.

"The policy of the United States and its regional satellites to create threats to the security of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) does not at all contribute to progress in a positive direction," Lavrov said ahead of a meeting with his North Korean counterpart in Moscow.

Lavrov said that Russia and North Korea will continue cooperating "closely" amid Russia's wish to see "lasting peace and stability throughout Northeast Asia."

"Russia, independently and with China, submitted relevant proposals to the UN Security Council. They are on the negotiating table," he added.

North Korea's recent military arsenal test was picked up by neighbours Japan and South Korea.

Foreign ministers from 50 nations pushed back, insisting such actions contravene UN sanctions.

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he "condemn(s) in the strongest possible terms the #DPRK export and Russia's procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles, as well as Russia's use of these missiles against #Ukraine on 30 December & 2 January."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has already pledged that Pyongyang will "annihilate" its neighbour South Korea, labelling it their so-called "principal enemy."

"If the ROK (Republic of Korea Army) dares attempt to use armed forces against the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea ) or threaten its sovereignty and security and such opportunity comes, we will have no hesitation in annihilating the ROK by mobilising all means and forces in our hands," Kim said.

His remarks came during an inspection of North Korea's major munitions factories – the second in a month Kim made such remarks.

On New Year's Eve, he called on the country's top brass to "thoroughly annihilate" South Korea and the US if they took any form of military action.

Tensions have been rising in the region as the US, South Korea, and Japan held separate and joint military drills.

The United States has heavily criticised North Korea's actions and involvement with Russia, as the US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with his South Korean counterpart Chang Ho-jin.

"The two officials condemned in the strongest possible terms the DPRK's transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia and Russia's use of these missiles against Ukraine," the White House said in a statement.

It also said that the weaponry would impact the Ukrainian people, violating multiple UN Security Council resolutions and undermining the global "non-proliferation regime" amid the "significant security implications for Europe, the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region."

Both officials pledged to continue working closely in support of Ukraine amid what they regard as a security challenge to strengthen peace and security in the region and across the globe.

Analyst Mark P Barry believes North Korea's actions "revolve" around Kim Jong-Un and those closest to him.

"And for them, Russia, China, Japan, and the US are all fundamentally imperialist, but they can be manipulated to help NK achieve its objectives. NK boasts it has a 'black belt' in politics," wrote Barry.

Last month, China said it would promote the "development" of bilateral ties with North Korea, outlining that it always saw relations "from a strategic and long-term perspective".

Amid the geopolitical wrangling, Gatestone Institute Senior Fellow Gordon Chang wrote, "#NorthKorea could not go to war on its own. #KimJongUn, therefore, has to have gotten the approval of #XiJinping and possibly #VladimirPutin. #China is about to start another conflict."

Pyongyang took to firing missiles and launching a military satellite.

Kim also called its neighbour a "hostile" state that has pushed a "history of vicious confrontation with bloodshot eyes to overthrow our regime and social system for nearly 80 years."

There has been a claim and counterclaim this month. Seoul claimed that Pyongyang launched artillery shells in waters off its west coast. At the same time, the North denied the allegation, insisting it was a so-called "deceptive operation" to gauge South Korea's response capacity.

Kim has also sought to bolster the country's military capabilities in what the country sees as its self-defence.

North Korea has been under a UN arms embargo since first testing a nuclear bomb in 2006.

Andrew A Michta, director of the Scowcroft Strategy Initiative, believes that "after Eastern Europe (Ukraine) and the Middle East (Israel), the Korean Peninsula could be the "third front."

"Russia and China want to continue stretching US military resources before an all-out confrontation. If those regional balances fail, we will have war," Michta wrote.