The submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), however, failed to soar from the waters, the official was quoted as saying, noting that debris from the missile found on the ocean surface proved the apparent failure.
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South Korean government officials, however, said that the launch had failed.
The National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that North Korea test-fired the submarine-launched ballistic missile at around 2 p.m. on Saturday in waters off the east coast port city of Wonsan, but the launch was viewed as a failure as the missile’s trajectory could not be tracked. South Korea’s defence ministry has declined to comment on North Korea’s launch.
Even so, the test launch in May fuelled alarm in South Korea and the United States about the possibility of advances in the military capabilities of a state that is pursuing a nuclear weapons programme. The US and South Korea responded with a joint plan that enables the two countries to detect, disrupt and destroy North Korean missiles if needed.
The spokesman, however, refused to discuss the details of the launch and did not directly confirm the test, saying “all the details related to North Korea’s SLBM launch is confidential”.
“North Korea is never going to stop”.
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The supreme leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un is reportedly ordering men to wear their hair just like himself and women to keep a bobbed cut similar to his wife. A submarine capable of launching a ballistic missile is a security nightmare for Seoul as well as Washington and Tokyo, although military experts say the North’s program is still in its early stages. It is believed to be some years away from perfecting the technology.
