A screen in Seoul shows a news bulletin on August 24, 2016, reporting that North Korea test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile.
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The missile was sacked from a submarine submerged off the northeastern port of Simpo, flying 300 miles towards Japan – far exceeding the range of any previous tests.
But the Security Council failed to condemn the move after China sought to include language in a statement opposing the THAAD missile defence system that the United States plans to deploy in South Korea. After he gave the order, the submarine submerged to a firing depth and launched the missile North Korea calls “Pukguksong”.
Kim lauded the missile launch as “a great manifestation and demonstration of the tremendous power and inexhaustible muscle”, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
The KCNA quoted Kim as saying the successful test showed that North Korea had joined the “front ranks” of military powers fully equipped with nuclear attack capabilities.
According to Yonhap, the missile could have flown over 1,000 kilometers (over 620 miles) if it were fired at a regular angle.
The test came just two days after South Korea and the USA kicked off joint Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) military drills on Monday, which will last until September 2. The young North Korean leader came out with another round of bluster Thursday.
Kim was pictured laughing and joking with officials as he hailed the missile launch “the greatest success”. “The best way of escaping the deadly strike of the infuriated KPA [Korean People’s Army] is to refrain from hurting the dignity and security of [North Korea] with prudence and self-control”.
The Security Council in March imposed the toughest sanctions on North Korea in two decades, reflecting growing anger at Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test and rocket launch in defiance of a ban on all nuclear-related activity.
Wang said the three neighbors, despite problems and difficulties among them, should work together to deal with regional threats like the DPRK’s missile and nuclear ambitions. It has also ramped up its saber-rattling after the United States and South Korea reached an agreement to implement a missile-defense system in the South. The missile flew for about 500 km, which suggests that progress has been made over the past few test launches.
The Foreign Ministry of China, North Korea’s last major ally, called for all sides to avoid actions that increase tensions.
A North Korean ballistic missile fired from a submarine yesterday flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles) in the longest flight by that type of weapon, Seoul officials said, a range that can place much of South Korea within its striking distance. Kim also said it is undeniable that the USA mainland and key operational areas in the Pacific were within North Korea’s striking distance.
South Korean police officers wearing gas masks conduct an anti-terror drill as part of Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise, at Yoido Subway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016.
The latest launch was widely condemned.
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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.
