"'From a North Korean perspective, the drone incursion was highly successful,' said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a North Korea expert and senior analyst at the Open Nuclear Network in Vienna. 'They were able to test South Korea's military readiness, they were able to see how the South Koreans would respond and they provoked considerable anxiety and division.'
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Lee added that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had been emboldened by his country's ability to withstand almost three years of extreme self-imposed isolation during the coronavirus pandemic, and the alleviation of diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang due to mounting tensions between the USA on one side and China and Russia on the other. The result, she said, was a North Korean regime increasingly willing to prey on - and toy with - the anxieties of the South Korean public. 'Until last month, everyone was talking about North Korea's ballistic missiles, when it intends to conduct its next nuclear test, and its plans to launch a spy satellite. No one was talking about drones,' said Lee. 'They are poking at us from so many different directions, using a wide range of weapons. Now people are asking: what will they send over next?' "
