Kim, chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea, watched the test-firing and declared that the SLBM launch proved his country “joined the front rank of military powers fully equipped with nuclear attack capabilities”, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
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The Security Council issued a unanimous statement, agreeing to take “significant measures” in response to the latest series of launches.
The missile, launched from a submerged prototype “Gorae-class” submarine near the northeastern port of Sinpo, flew 500 kilometres towards Japan, marking what weapons analysts called a clear step forward for its nuclear strike ambitions.
“These launches are in grave violation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s global obligations under United Nations Security Council resolutions”, the statement added.
It further demanded that North Korea “refrain from further actions, including nuclear tests”, and called on all United Nations member states “to redouble their efforts” to implement sanctions against Pyongyang. The regime of Kim Jong-un has also felt increasingly vulnerable after USA nuclear armed B-2 and B-52 bombers have patrolled the region providing North Korea with the stark reality of the consequences of a misstep.
South Korea and the United States have agreed to share information on the underwater environment in North Korean waters, Seoul officials said Sunday, a move to better counter Pyongyang’s growing submarine-based military threats. That means all ofSouth Korea, and possibly parts of Japan, are within itsstriking distance.
The increasingly provocative actions by North Korea do not exist in a vacuum, but instead appear to be responsive to the massive two-week Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) war games that began on Monday with over 50,000 South Korean and 30,000 United States soldiers taking part.
At a submarine-related committee meeting in June, the two allies discussed ways to analyze underwater information in seas on both sides of the Korean Peninsula and share it with each other, a South Korean military official said. Its development of reliable submarine-launched missiles would add a weapon that is harder to detect before launch.
The council was unable to agree after Beijing pressed for language in a statement opposing the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence missile defence system that the USA plans to deploy in South Korea.
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It also stressed the “importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula”, committing to seek a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation.
