Since North Korea’s first nuclear test in 2006, it has been subjected to numerous sanctions.

Despite these punitive measures and its ostracised status, it has carried out five nuclear tests and conducted two successful tests of its Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Jul 4 and Jul 28 this year.

With this new weapon, does this change the strategic dynamic between the United States and North Korea? More importantly, what can the U.S. and international community do to contain the threat from Pyongyang?

… Liang Tuang Nah is a research fellow with the Military Studies Programme at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. This commentary first appeared in RSIS Commentary.