Key developments on North Korea this week

North Korea has made several key developments in the past week. On August 9, it was reported that between 30,000 and 50,000 North Koreans were to be deployed in Russia. On August 11, North Korea criticized Japan's defense paper, calling it a justification for military buildup. The FBI is reportedly investigating a North Korean IT staffer who is working for a U.S. government agency.

On August 12, North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile toward the East Sea. The South Korean military observed the missile launch. North Korea also sent condolences over the death of former Lao parliament president. The United States, South Korea, and 38 other countries called for advance notice of ICBM and SLBM launches in a joint statement.

Presidential office in South Korea labeled North Korea's missile launch as a provocation and urged an immediate halt. North Korea vowed to secure an "unsurvivable" retaliatory capability over South Korea's nuclear submarine push. The North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported this on August 13.

Interestingly, North Korea again skipped a missile launch on August 13. Its rebuke of South Korea's nuclear submarine push marked its first official stance on the issue, according to an official. On August 14, North Korea warned of a new level of deterrent ahead of key South Korea-U.S. military drills. It also warned of bolstering its nuclear deterrent in response to the U.S. new nuclear strategy.