What Happened: North Korea tested a missile that experts suspect to be a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), but it exploded shortly after takeoff, Yonhap News reported March 16. Experts suspect that North Korea tested the same type of missile on March 5 and Feb. 27, but those trials only tested one stage of the multi-stage missile and did not use a full fuel load, flying at lower altitudes and for different purposes than full flight testing.

Why It Matters: North Korea is unperturbed by missile launch failures and is highly likely to conduct another test this quarter, continuing its defiance of sanctions. If there is a successful North Korean ICBM launch, South Korea will adjust by pushing for missile defense deployment and could even develop and deploy first-strike capabilities.

Background: North Korea's last ballistic missile test failure occurred in 2017 when the missile failed after launch and crashed into the nearby city of Tokchon in central North Korea. North Korea has not tested a full ICBM since 2017.