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Korea fires submarine-launched ballistic missile into East Sea

In comments clearly aimed at riling Pyongyang, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye said the “unpredictability” of supreme leader Kim Jong-Un’s character intensifies the dangers of further North Korean provocations.

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In a photo distributed on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, by the North Korean government, a missile is launched at an undisclosed location in North Korea.

North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons development programs have brought heavy global sanctions down on its head, but it says they are justified because of the threat posed by the US and South Korea.

The KCNA report said the test was conducted by a “high-angle fire system” and reconfirmed “the stability of the underwater ballistic launching system, the starting character of the high power solid fuel engine and phased flying kinetic feature after coming up to the surface of the water”.

North Korean’s successful launch of an SLBM has also raised concerns that it could make it hard for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system – it is expected to be deployed in South Korea by the end of 2017 – to intercept a North Korean missile as it can be fired underwater anywhere near the South. He was quoted by state media as calling it the “success of all successes”, though it brought immediate condemnation from the United States and the North’s neighbors. “This was likely a KN-11 ballistic missile”, an anonymous official stated, adding that the USA had detected its launch from the submarine and tracked its trajectory.

According to a statement made by the South Korean military, the missile, launched from near Sinpo, a submarine base, flew 310 miles toward Japan.

South Korean military officials said the test indicates that the missile could fly 2,500 km at an ordinary trajectory.

“He appreciated the test-fire as the greatest success and victory”, KCNA said.

Compared to previous tests, Wednesday’s missile is seen as “an improvement”, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The UN Security Council met for two hours on Wednesday, August 24, to discuss North Korea’s test-firing of a missile from a submarine towards Japan and agreed to consider a statement condemning the launch.

The three countries, China, Japan, and South Korea show unity in solving the problem and issues regarding the missile launch of North Korea.

“There was a general sense of condemnation by most members of the council”, Ramlan Bin Ibrahim, Malaysia’s ambassador to the United Nations and the current council president, told reporters after the closed session.

KCNA continued: “He noted with pride that the results of the test-fire proved in actuality that the DPRK joined the front rank of the military powers fully equipped with nuclear attack capability”.

He said the United States is drafting the text of a press statement “and we will have a look at it”.

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Meanwhile, the general staff of North Korea’s armed forces told KCNA the USA and South Korea were “saber-rattling” and warned the US -led forces that “nuclear war may break out any moment” on the Korean peninsula.

North Korea Threatens US and South Korea With Retaliatory Nuclear Strike