The crisis in the Middle East continues as Iran and its proxies disrupt regional security and international trade. The war in Ukraine rumbles on as Russian President Vladimir Putin retains his messianic sense of imperial ambition. China is escalating its military threats to a U.S. treaty defense ally, the Philippines. But it’s clear that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un doesn’t want to be left off the list of American security challenges.

North Korea retains nuclear weapons and is slowly but steadily improving its means of reliably delivering those weapons onto long-range targets. The country claimed the successful test of a solid-fuel ballistic missile this week. These missiles allow pre-fueling and staging and so reduce the warning time and potential first-strike options available to a prospective adversary such as the U.S. At the same time, Kim and his inner circle are adopting noticeably more hostile policy statements toward South Korea. This week, Kim openly abandoned his regime’s policy focus on reunification with South Korea in favor of forcible annexation. North Korea also has cut off communications with its southern neighbor and recently conducted live-fire exercises along a disputed border area. The vast size of the North Korean army, its nuclear weapons, and Kim’s unpredictability pose a significant threat. While the U.S. and South Korea would win any war with North Korea, the costs might be terrible. Kim knows that Washington and Seoul know this, seeking to exploit this fear for his own agenda.