North Korea’s Missile Tests Timed to Bolster Standing with China, Analysts Say

North Korea's military programs have been greatly advancing in the last few years. Recently, North Korea has done many missile tests as a part of their Musudan program, most of which have failed in the last few months. On Wednesday, North Korea released a video displayed the successful flight test for its first submarine-launched ballistic missile. However, the timing of this video release is especially notable, with it happening right before a meeting between Chinese and North Korean officials. In addition to this, officials from China and the United States are also planning to meet in the next week in large part to discuss North Korea's active military and nuclear pursuits. The United States has been proposing sanctions between China and North Korea, however China has always been hesitant to agree based on the US's presence in South Korea. North Korea's recent attempts at military swaggering and missile tests show that Kim Jong-un is very eager to showcase his country's power in light of these recent meetings, despite the demonstration's shortcomings.

-Sarah Beck
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/world/asia/north-korea-musudan-missile.html?ref=world&_r=0