The crackpot dictator’s forces fired a ballistic missile over Japan’s northern Hokkaido island and into the sea, prompting warnings to residents to take cover and drawing a sharp reaction from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The test, one of the most provocative ever from the reclusive state, came as US and South Korean forces conduct annual military exercises on the peninsula, angering North Korea which sees them as a preparation for invasion.
But some experts believe the latest test was a ham-fisted attempt by Kim to force Washington into opening talks.
Although they accepted few people in the outside world would be able to get their heads around his warped way of thinking.
Masao Okonogi, professor emeritus at Japan’s Keio University, said: “North Korea thinks that by exhibiting their capability, the path to dialogue will open.
“That logic, however, is not understood by the rest of the world, so it’s not easy.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the only way to resolve the issue was through talks to address each other’s reasonable security concerns.
She said China opposed North Korea defying UN resolutions but warned sanctions and pressure would not fundamentally solve the issue.
She said: “The UN Security Council has put through several resolutions and sanctions have all along been put in place but everyone can see whether they’ve had actual results.
“On the one hand, sanctions have continued to be put in place via resolutions and on the other hand North Korea’s nuclear and missile launch process is still continuing.”
Kim has vowed never to give up North Korea’s weapons programmes, saying they are necessary to counter hostility from the US and its allies.