Brazilian diplomatic cables shed light on North Korea missile testing

In a diplomatic cable, the Brazilian ambassador to Japan warned the country’s embassies around the world of a potential escalation of the North Korea missile testing program during the Covid-19 pandemic. Writing from Tokyo, Mr. Saboia noted the reaction of the Japanese government to Pyongyang’s latest ramping up of its ballistic tests in March, which, according to Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, “represent a serious problem to (…) the international community.”

While the rest of the world is struggling to hold their health systems together, the North Korean central government may be using these military operations to show off its leadership capabilities.

According to news website Defense News, North Korea conducted nine missile tests in March — the most recorded in a single month — and there is an expectation that this frequency will continue.

“Making use” of the coronavirus pandemic is not exclusive to North Korea, however. As we noted on April 25, several countries have eyed the Covid-19...