NoKor leader says missile test ‘greatest success’
SEOUL (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said yesterday that his country had achieved the “success of all successes” in launching a missile from a submarine, saying it effectively gave the country a fully equipped nuclear attack capability and put the US mainland within striking distance.
Kim’s comments, carried by Pyongyang’s official Korean
Central News Agency, came a day after South Korean officials said a ballistic missile fired from a North Korean submarine was tracked flying about 500 kilometers, the longest distance achieved by the North for such a weapon.
North Korea already has a variety of land-based missiles that can hit South Korea and Japan, including US military bases in those countries. But its development of reliable submarine- launched missiles would add a weapon that is harder to detect before launch.
The KCNA said Kim watched from an observation post as the test- firing happened, which the agency said was carried out without “any adverse impact” on neighboring countries. The North’s official Rodong
Sinmun newspaper published several photos that showed the missile, with the name Pukguksong printed on its side, soaring into the sky, and Kim smiling and embracing with one of the North Korean officials accompanying him from what appeared to be an observation deck.
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. Kim also said it is undeniable that the US mainland and key operational areas in the Pacific were within North Korea’s striking distance.