The declared arrival of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in Pyongyang earlier this month has done little to deter missile testing. Shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden left Northeast Asia after his first trip to the region, North Korea carried out a series of three missile launches — two short-range missiles and one missile that appeared to make use of an intercontinental-range ballistic missile (ICBM) booster.

This was the first time that North Korea has tested an ICBM booster alongside short-range systems. All three launches took place from Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport, a site that has