The Citizen (KZN)

North Korea ups nuclear ante

MISSILE EXTENDS PYONGYANG’S DEADLY REACH Japan condemns submarine launch as ‘unforgivab­le, reckless act’.

- Seoul

North Korea yesterday test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) 500km towards Japan, marking what weapons analysts described as a clear step forward for its nuclear strike ambitions.

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.

A proven SLBM system would take North Korea’s nuclear strike threat to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and a “second-strike” capability to retaliate in the event of an attack on its military bases.

“While there are still a lot of questions about the details, this test certainly seems to have been successful,” said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia nonprolife­ration programme at the Middlebury Institute of Internatio­nal Studies in California.

“This system is still in developmen­t, but North Korea is clearly making progress,” said Lewis.

UN resolution­s prohibit North Korea from using ballistic missile technology, but Pyongyang has continued to carry out numerous launches following its fourth nuclear test in January.

South Korea has responded by agreeing to deploy a sophistica­ted US anti-missile system – known as Thaad – a move that has seriously strained relations with North Korea’s main diplomatic ally, China.

Lewis noted that an SLBM was an “effective countermea­sure” to Thaad and other missile systems with forward-looking radars since the submarine can launch the missile from behind the radar.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said yesterday’s missile breached his country’s air defense identifica­tion zone (Adiz) and condemned what he called an “unforgivab­le, reckless act” and a grave threat to Japan’s security.

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.

The latest test came just days after North Korea threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike against South Korean and US forces who kicked off their annual Ulchi Freedom military drill on Monday.

Seoul and Washington insist such joint exercises are purely defensive in nature. – AFP

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