The North Korean missile tests President Donald Trump has dismissed as being "very standard" are actually allowing Chairman Kim Jong Un to test missiles that can overwhelm nearby U.S. defenses, according to American intelligence officials and other experts.
"Kim is exploiting loopholes in his agreements with President Trump pretty brilliantly," Vipin Narang, a political-science professor at M.I.T. who studies North Korean weapon advances, told The New York Times. "These are mobile-launched, they move fast, they fly very low and they are maneuverable. That's a nightmare for missile defense. And it's only a matter of time before those technologies are migrated to longer-range missiles."
Last week, Japan's Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said the most recent tests showed evidence of a program that has been designed to defeat his country's defenses, which were deployed with American technology.
Outside experts say Kim has been flattering President Donald Trump through letters and meetings, which has also given the North Korean leader time to further develop his arsenal, despite the sanctions. This is putting Japan and South Korea in more danger and threatens at least eight U.S. military bases in those countries because the missiles being tested could carry either nuclear or conventional warheads.
Trump said Kim has committed to him he would not test intercontinental ballistic missiles or nuclear devices while the negotiations are underway, and those kinds of weapons have not been tested since their meeting 14 months ago.
However, there have been no substantive talks since February, and North Korea's state-run media said last week the country does not feel limits on improving its other missiles, including short-range devices.