The biggest question about the effectiveness of the new sanctions is how tightly they will be enforced, particularly by North Korea’s ally and major trading partner, China. There have already been unconfirmed reports in South Korean media of Chinese banks and trading companies stopping money and mineral transfers with North Korea but it is unclear how tightly Beijing will police the sanctions.

Pyongyang appeared to express its anger quickly by firing short-range missiles into the sea early Thursday. North Korea typically characterizes U.N. sanctions as part of a U.S.-led plot to overthrow its government and is likely to repeat that claim. Its responses will also be closely monitored for any indication that it will come to the table to discuss rolling back its nuclear program, although expectations for this are low.

Joint military exercises in South Korea between Washington and Seoul are scheduled to start in the next week or so. North Korea typically ramps up its aggressive rhetoric during drill periods and is likely to threaten attacks against its two rivals.

While the chances of a major military clash are low, Seoul has recently raised concerns about possible cyberattacks or other provocations by North Korea, such as border skirmishes. The South Korean National Assembly on Wednesday passed a new antiterrorism law designed to better protect the nation against small-scale attacks.

The pendulum has swung sharply towards pressure on North Korea by surrounding nations, but China and Russia have emphasized a need to resume talks. South Korea and the U.S. have said they are prepared to speak with Pyongyang as long as it is willing to discuss denuclearization. There may be new international efforts to get talks going to offer North Korea a way out of its isolation.