North Korea said Monday that it had successfully test-fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile which could be tipped with a large nuclear warhead. The North Korean Central News Agency said, “The newly developed land-to-land missile, called “Hwasong-12,” rose 2111.5 kilometers and hit its target zone in international waters, 787 kilometers away from the launch site.”

The agency said the warhead detonation system had worked in the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry, a key stage in the technological development of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Though the US and South Korea question the North’s atmospheric re-entry technology, experts regard the missile as tantamount to an intercontinental ballistic missile, at least in view of its maximum altitude and flight distance. This means that the North has got a step closer to the ability to strike the mainland of the US with a nuclear missile.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, who watched the missile test, reportedly ordered the military to “make more nuclear weapons.”

These indicate the North has no interest in denuclearization dialogue and that it will keep developing nuclear weapons. Even if he is willing to hold talks, he will try to gain an advantage using his nuclear card.

Last month, major North Korean provocations were likely, but the month passed without one. The US pressured the North hard with threats of military actions. China added pressure on it, saying Beijing would not intervene if the US strikes its nuclear test facilities.

Recently, however, US President Donald Trump floated the possibility of dialogue, and President Moon Jae-in took office with a two-track policy of dialogue and denuclearization. The latest missile test, conducted four days after Moon was inaugurated, appears to be an attempt to test the waters of his government.

Shortly after the North fired the missile, Moon convened a National Security Council meeting and strongly condemned the provocation. It was a rapid and right response. The UN Security Council also adopted a statement to condemn the North, and will implement further sanctions. The South needs to carry out the sanctions faithfully.

As he condemned the North, Moon mentioned the possibility of dialogue. Although he signaled a condition for talks, the South should not give the impression that it is begging for dialogue.

In dealing with the North, there is a lesson that Washington and Seoul should remember about its trustworthiness. Pyongyang attended talks on denuclearization in exchange for compensation only to break the agreement abruptly, blaming the other parties and resuming its nuclear weapons program.

The chances are slim that Kim will accept an offer of denuclearization talks, considering the North is just a few years from deploying intercontinental ballistic missiles. Rodong Sinmun, the North Korean official newspaper of the Worker’s Party, recently said the country won’t exchange its military might with the whole world.

In this situation, pressure should come before dialogue. Dialogue is needed but dialogue without practical help to denuclearization should be avoided.

With the North improving its missile technology, the Moon administration should beef up the nation’s missile defense. Korea’s own antimissile system is expected to be fielded in early 2023. Until then, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, a US missile shield installed to protect American forces in Korea, will be useful. The Moon administration needs to acknowledge its usefulness and resolve the THAAD deployment issue, which he vowed to decide on if elected president, as early as possible. His envoy to China should drive home the message that the THAAD is South Korea’s inevitable choice to defend itself.

Pyongyang has argued peace on the Korean Peninsula is a matter of the US and North Korea. It has employed a strategy to seek denuclearization talks only with the US, excluding the South.

The South’s response to the North should be made based on its alliance with the US. With the North Korean threats escalating, the necessity is mounting for the Moon administration to consult the US more closely than ever. Now it is time to show an airtight alliance and keep in pace with international sanctions.