Seoul: North Korea is taking advantage of the Middle East war to speed up its weapons development and cement its nuclear status in a world where international norms have broken down, analysts say. Since US-Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February, North Korea has conducted five missile launches, including four so far in April - the most in a single month since January 2024, according to an AFP tally. They follow a pledge by leader Kim Jong Un to bolster nuclear forces, as Pyongyang reaps the benefits of deeper ties with Russia and sharpens its invective against US ally South Korea. The launches “appear to be part of a sophisticated strategy” to balance military upgrades against shifting dynamics between the United States, Russia and China, said Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at the South’s Kyungnam University. “The current global security landscape has transformed into a ‘lawless zone’ where existing international norms no longer function,” he said. “North Korea is exploiting this vacuum...…