North Korea failed in its test-launch of a ballistic missile from submarine after announcing the successful launch of such a missile in May, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Saturday.
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“There is no identification of a missile taking flight and only fragments of a safety cover was observed so it’s highly likely that the launch was a misfire”, a South Korean government source was quoted as saying by Yonhap.
The test, if confirmed, follows a test-launch in May of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), which Pyongyang boasted as a success but has not been independently verified. However, the authenticity of the launch could not be verified. North Korea reportedly imposed a no-navigation zone in eastern waters off the coastal city of Wonsan from November 11 to December 7.
“The missile was not seen flying in the air only debris from its coverings was spotted”, he said.
In September, the nation said it was ready to use nuclear weapons against the USA at any time and that its main nuclear facility was fully operational.
Cautious hopes were raised within the South when a key North Korean anniversary came and went in October without any significant event beyond a military parade in Pyongyang.
Under UN Security Council resolutions, the nuclear armed North Korea is banned from any test using ballistic missile technology.
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Tensions have remained high on the Korean Peninsula for decades as the North and South never signed a peace treaty at the close of their 1950-53 war.
