South Korea’s defense ministry held a large-scale ceremony over the weekend to mark the country’s Armed Forces Day, in what was essentially a visual display of the Yoon administration’s efforts to strengthen and sharpen military readiness against North Korean threats.

But while Seoul trotted out an impressive array of tanks, missiles and jets for the event, the defense planning challenges that it faces will require more than just the right equipment, which Tuesday night’s failed missile test showed is by no means full-proof.

The most important factor in whether South Korea