North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared a submarine-launched missile test the “greatest success”, state media said Thursday, as the UN weighed a condemnation of the launch which appears to advance Pyongyang’s nuclear strike capability.
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The naval commander urged all maritime units stationed along the East Sea to step up vigilance in the wake of Pyongyang’s submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test. Jung was paying a visit to one of the key naval units based in Donghae in South Korea’s Gangwon Province, a day after the missile launch. In order for an SLBM to succeed, a missile is required to have a range of 300 kilometers, a requirement the North surpassed by 200 kilometers Wednesday.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is pushing scientists to put nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles for a potentially imminent war with the US, according to reports.
North Korea’s latest submarine missile test was sharply slammed and criticized by the foreign ministers of South Korea, China, and Japan. DPRK is an acronym of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.
Earlier this month, North Korea fired a land-launched ballistic missile directly into Japanese-controlled waters for the first time, drawing an outraged response from Tokyo.
Considering that the North only publicizes missile launches that have succeeded, the North’s wide coverage of Wednesday launch shows Pyongyang’s satisfaction with the test, an assessment shared by military experts.
A missile is purportedly launched in this photo distributed by the North Korean government on Thursday.
The test came just days after North Korea threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike against South Korean and USA forces who kicked off their annual Ulchi Freedom military drills on Monday.
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.
Kim said the latest launch proved the North had joined the “front rank of the military powers fully equipped with nuclear attack capability”.
The footage released by Uriminzokkiri shows the missile on a trailer apparently alongside a dock at a naval base.
The South Korean and USA militaries said the missile was sacked from near the coastal city of Sinpo, where a submarine base is located.
Analysts at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University reported on the 38 North website on 24 August that, “Assuming the current rate of development, while North Korea still faces significant technological challenges, including building of a new class of submarine to carry the missile, it is on track to develop the capability to strike targets in the region – including Japan – by 2020”.
Ban said the latest launch is a clear violation of UNSC resolutions and it hinders peace and security of the Korean Peninsula.
Deputy Russian UN Ambassador Petr Iliichev said the United States would circulate a draft press statement.
China said on Wednesday that it opposes the North’s nuclear and missile programmes.
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It had been angered by what it views as provocative moves by the United States and South Korea on the decision to deploy the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) anti-missile system in South Korea.
