N. Korea presumed to have fired submarine-launched ballistic missile
A "new-type tactical guided missile" is launched on Aug. 6, 2019, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Aug. 7. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who watched the firing, said this week's missile launches were an "adequate warning" against the joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States that kicked off earlier this week, the KCNA said. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap). Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.
SEOUL, Oct 2, 2019, Yonhap. North Korea fired what was believed to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from waters off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, demonstrating its nuclear delivery capabilities just days before resuming denuclearization talks with the United States, reported the Yonhap.
The missile, believed to be a type of Pukguksong, a North Korean SLBM, was fired from off the east coast near Wonsan in an easterly direction at 7:11 a.m., and flew around 450 kilometers at a maximum altitude of about 910 km, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The high altitude means the missile was fired at a high angle, and if it had been fired at a normal angle, it would have flown a much longer distance.
“Our military is monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture,” the JCS said, calling on the North to stop such acts that heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea’s presidential National Security Council (NSC) convened an emergency meeting and expressed strong concern over the launch.
U.S. Forces Korea said it is aware of the launch.
“We are aware of reports of a possible North Korean missile launch. We are continuing to monitor the situation and consulting closely with our allies in the region,” USFK spokesperson Col. Lee Peters said in a statement sent to Yonhap News Agency.
The North last conducted an SLBM test when it test-fired a Pukguksong-1 ballistic missile off the east coast in August 2016, which flew about 500 km.
So far, North Korea is believed to have developed Pukguksong-1 and Pukguksong-2 missiles, and their maximum flight range was known to be around 1,300 kilometers, according to the defense ministry.
Along with its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), the North’s SLBM program is considered one of the biggest threats to the U.S. and its allies, as it could extend the range of the North’s nuclear missiles and such a missile is hard to detect in advance before it emerges from the water.
In July, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a newly built submarine, calling for the development of naval armed forces to boost the country’s military capabilities, according to the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The communist country was known to have built a new submarine at its naval base in Sinpo on its east coast.
Intelligence authorities in South Korea said at the time that the newly constructed submarine is ready to be deployed “soon” and seems to be capable of carrying three SLBMs. Currently, North Korea is believed to be operating around 70 subs, including some 20 1,800-ton Romeo class ones.
Following Wednesday’s launch, South Korea asked Japan to share related military information under the framework of the bilateral intelligence-sharing pact, according to Seoul’s defense ministry.
In August, South Korea announced its decision to terminate the pact, the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), after Japan extended its export restrictions on Seoul. The agreement is set to expire in November.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference earlier in the day that North Korea launched two ballistic missiles and that one of them fell into the country’s exclusive economic zone.
By Oh Seok-min
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