North Korea fired two missiles from submarines earlier this year but South Korean defense officials believe they exploded in midair after flying fewer than 30 kilometers (18 miles).
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The submarine-launched ballistic missile or SLBM was reportedly fired off Sinpo, North Korea, and landed in the Sea of Japan.
North Korea on Wednesday test-fired a ballistic missile off its east coast as tensions heightened on the Korean peninsula after South Korea and the U.S. started annual war games, Seoul’s military said.
Compared to previous tests, Wednesday’s missile is seen as “an improvement”, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. He called it an “unforgivable, reckless act” and a grave threat to Japan’s security.
“While there are still a lot of questions about the details, this test certainly seems to have been successful”, said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California.
The launch also comes at a time of intensified animosities between the rival Koreas over the defection of a senior North Korean diplomat in London and a US plan to install a sophisticated missile defense system in South Korea.
North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs are a source of regional security concerns.
“We have confirmed that we will urge North Korea to exercise self-restraint regarding its provocative action, and to observe the U.N. Security Council’s resolutions”, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told a news conference after hosting a trilateral meeting with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts.
The talks begin as Japan, China and South Korea are themselves at odds over various territorial disputes and a United States missile defence system.
To better defend against North Korea’s advancing program, South Korea plans to deploy an advanced USA missile defense shield, known as Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or Thaad, on its soil by late 2017. Ja said the military drills have put the Korean peninsula on “the brink of war”.
“Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad”, said Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross. North Korea has protested the drills, calling them preparations for an invasion of the North.
The exercise always triggers a rise in tensions on the divided peninsula, and this year it coincides with particularly volatile cross-border relations following a series of high-profile defections.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry warned the North’s pursuit of weapons programs would only invite more sanctions, deepen its worldwide isolation, and eventually speed up its collapse. “We agreed to the need to have more cooperation among the three countries to resolve diverse challenges confronting our region and the global community”.
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They also agreed that the North’s latest missile test-fire is a provocation that can not be tolerated. South Korea’s government issued a statement, in which it warned that North Korea’s obsession with nuclear weapons development will only hasten the country’s self-destruction.
