On Oct. 4, North Korea fired two missiles 22 minutes apart from the North’s capital region. The missiles landed between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. 

Later that evening, South Korea launched two of their own missiles in response to North Korea’s. One of the missiles malfunctioned and crashed in coastal city Gangneung, causing alarm among nearby residents who thought they were under attack from North Korea, which had test fired a missile earlier in the day. 

This immediately prompted the US to call an emergency UN Security Council meeting. At the conference, the US accused the Russians and the Chinese of protecting the North from stronger sanctions. 

“Make no mistake: the two Council members that are blocking us from taking action are enabling North Korea,” tweeted Linda Thomas-Greenfield, UN Ambassador for the US.

Analysts claim that the latest missile launch suggests North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s determination to continue with weapon tests aimed at boosting his nuclear arsenal in defiance of international sanctions. Experts say Kim’s goal is to eventually win U.S recognition as a nuclear state and the lifting of those sanctions, though the international community has shown no sign of allowing that to happen.