It’s as if Kim Jong Un has been waiting for strong sanctions. They may be helpful for reinforcing his regime’s power, though they could also result in a crisis for the country. Kim’s hard line, which has included boasting of his country’s nuclear power and missile capability, sharp inter-Korean confrontations and unconcealed threats against South Korea, is ongoing.

Kim is not only providing directions to continue nuclear testing and missile launches, he is heightening the level of tension by unveiling the solid fuel rocket test on the ground. North Korea has threatened to detonate a hydrogen bomb, and even making public videos simulating attacks on Washington, D.C. and Seoul.