The DPRK test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile at about 5:30 a.m. local time (2030 GMT Tuesday) off the eastern coastal town of Sinpo in South Hamgyeong province, according to South Korean defense ministry.
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In June, North Korea, after a string of failures, sent a midrange ballistic missile more than 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) high.
The flight distance, which was tracked by South Korea’s military Joint Chiefs of Staff, far exceeded any previous SLBM tests, suggesting significant progress in technical prowess.
The successful launch follows four failed tests.
“There was a general sense of condemnation by most members of the council and therefore we will have to see how we would then be phrasing the press statement”, said Ramlan bin Ibrahim from Malaysia, which now holds the council’s presidency.
“However, as the country can’t afford to conduct a large-scale training they have to make use of their “most proud” military asset they have”, said Yang, adding that such launches are aimed at telling the U.S. -ROK forces that the North can “strike the back of their heads”.
Once again, Pyongyang threatened its rivals, in particular the “US imperialists” and the “South Korean puppet group”, which are now staging a joint military exercise “aiming at a preemptive nuclear strike at the DPRK with huge nuclear strategic assets involved”, according to the article.
Last week North Korea’s deputy ambassador to Britain, Thae Yong-Ho, defected to the South – a rare and damaging loss of diplomatic face for Pyongyang and a major PR victory for Seoul.
The KCNA paraphrased Kim as saying that the successful test proved that North Korea has joined the “front rank” of military powers fully equipped with nuclear attack capability.
North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) yesterday, which flew about 500km (300 miles).
If North Korea also rushes to deploy its SLBM without adequate testing, the South Korean military would probably have no choice but to take precautionary measures.
Experts say North Korea’s missile technology is developing.
Pyongyang has dubbed its recent missile test the “greatest success and victory” and threatened the USA “with nuclear hammers of justice”, state media reports, adding that the North has all the resources necessary to battle U.S. “nuclear hegemony”.
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.
He also stressed the need to speed up mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles and to focus efforts on the development of the delivery means.
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.
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 North has even threatened to turn the United States and South Korean armies into a “heap of ashes” after they were spotted performing joint military exercises. Amid the increasing likelihood of North Korea’s SLBMs becoming a real threat, the controversy about the military efficacy of deploying THAAD with United States forces in South Korea is expected to be reignited.
