One success; two failures. When North Korea claimed to have fired a missile from a submarine last weekend, Kim Jong-un was so thrilled by the spectacle of this weapon bursting from the sea that the portly “Supreme Leader” was photographed beaming with delight.

Five days later, Mr Kim’s generals tried the simpler task of launching two missiles from dry land, only for both to fizzle out and plummet back to earth. Oddly enough, there were no pictures of this occasion.

Month after month, North Korea tests a fearsome weapon – and occasionally explodes a nuclear bomb – in a way that is calculated to send a chill down your spine. But resist the temptation to shiver. In truth, the old ritual of the North Korean missile launch does not matter very much.