"The fact that the overflight of Japan raises doubts in Japan about the country's self-defense capability and the value of its alliance with the United States is an ancillary benefit from Pyongyang's point of view," he said.
The North Koreans had deliberately planned to fire their test missile over the territory of Japan’s largest island Hokkaido to expose Tokyo’s vulnerability and in the hope that it would sow widespread doubts about the US capability to protect its ally, Freeman explained.
North Korea had not broken any international law by conducting the test as the missile flew above the main atmosphere, Freeman observed.
"The fact is that there is nothing to prohibit extra-atmospheric overflight of sovereign territory. Sovereignty does not extend beyond the atmosphere," he said.
The test demonstrated that North Korea’s leaders remained convinced that their missile and nuclear programs gave them a security, attention and respect in the world that were worth the economic sanctions and other penalties imposed upon them, Freeman noted.
"North Korea judges that the gains from perfecting its nuclear deterrent outweigh the risks of countermeasures by South Korea, Japan, or the United States," he said.
Consequently, Freeman cautioned, there was no prospect in the foreseeable future that the United States, its allies or the international community could persuade Pyongyang to scrap its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
"North Korea is past the stage of sending diplomatic signals or maneuvering for bargaining leverage. This test is part of a very determined effort to develop an effective North Korean nuclear deterrent," he said.
Freeman pointed out that the latest test indicated that the North Koreans were determined to bring targets far beyond Japan within range of their ballistic missiles.
"The range was calibrated to Guam, though the missile was aimed elsewhere. The purpose was missile development," he said.
The UN Security Council condemned North Korea’s attack after closed consultations on Tuesday and called for "immediate, concrete" actions to respond.
