North Korea test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile yesterday that flew 311 miles towards Japan.
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Japan said the missile reached its air defence identification zone, the first time that has been done by a North Korean missile.
The tests have had a patchy record of success. “Those threats are coming closer each moment”.
The SLBM was sacked at a high trajectory powered by a solid fuel engine, the KCNA said, claiming that the test demonstrated its “perfect” mastering of core technologies.
Kim said the test-firing has proved the DPRK “joined the front rack of the military powers fully equipped with nuclear attack capability” and that the US mainland and military bases in the Asia Pacific are now within the striking range of the DPRK’s military. Before the launch, North Korea warned that the joint military exercises were pushing the Korean Peninsula “to the brink of a war” and asked for an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
The missile was sacked off the east coast of North Korea at 5.30am local time and landed in waters inside Japan’s air defence identification zone.
The latest missile launch, in the Sea of Japan, was announced by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. Called “Bukgeukseong” (meaning “North Star”) in North Korea and “KN-11” according to the American classification system, this SLBM is believed to have used a solid-fuel engine.
North Korea already has a variety of land-based missiles that can hit South Korea and Japan, including USA military bases in those countries.
The UN Security Council met behind closed doors on Wednesday at the request of the United States and Japan to discuss the launch.
Experts say North Korea’s missile technology is developing.
Japanese Prime Minister Shizo Abe denounced the missile launch as an “unforgivable” threat to regional security, in remarks published in multiple media on Wednesday.
“North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats are not imaginary threats any longer, but they’re now becoming real threats”, said South Korean President Park Geun-hye, according to the Associated Press.
The South Korean military said the missile flew about 500 kilometers toward Japan, making the longest flight by such a missile launched by the North.
Takesada said North Korea needs to have at least four SLBM-armed submarines to successfully deploy SLBMs.
Though North Korea has protested such exercises for decades, prompting regular spikes in tensions on the divided peninsula, it has been particularly alarmed by reports that the maneuvers have recently started to include training for an invasion of the North and precision strikes, or “beheading operations”, against its top leaders. He said the USA was drafting the text of a statement and council members would “have a look at it”.
The launch from the submarine came two days after South Korea and the USA began annual military exercises in the South that North Korea condemns as a preparation for invasion, and has threatened retaliation.
Footage of the test was broadcast on North Korea’s central television Thursday.
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“There are many problems existing between the three countries, but China, Japan and South Korea are the three biggest economy entities in Asia”.
