The problem with labeling every North Korean missile launch a ‘provocation’

North Korea has conducted a spate of military demonstrations of late, from mortar firing competitions, cruise missile launches and cluster munitions testing to Tuesday’s ballistic missile test. Predictably, South Korea and its allies have labeled many of these provocations.

But while there is broad agreement that such drills and launches reflect a steady enhancement of DPRK military capabilities, the routine characterization of North Korean actions as provocations risks obscuring rather than clarifying DPRK behaviors. 

More importantly, it also carries legal and policy implications, particularly for how South Korea formulates and executes its own responses