North Korea launched a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) on Jan. 30, state media confirmed Monday, marking the fourth successful test-launch of the missile and seventh overall. It was also the DPRK’s longest launch since 2017.

The apparently routine test to verify performance indicates little new about the Hwasong-12 IRBM itself, with no visible improvements to the missile launched Sunday. 

Yet the launch caps the busiest month of North Korean missile testing in history, marking the 11th individual missile launched this month over seven test events, and casts important light on the shifting direction of  Pyongyang