N. Korean submarine missile launch shows an improving ability
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA » A ballistic missile fired from a North Korean submarine on Wednesday flew about 310 miles, the longest distance achieved by the North for such a weapon, Seoul officials said, putting all of South Korea, and possibly parts of Japan, within its striking distance.
North Korea already has a variety of land-based missiles that can hit South Korea and Japan, including U.S. military bases in those countries. But its development of reliable submarine-launched missiles would add weapons that are harder to detect before liftoff.
South Korea’s military condemned the launch as an “armed protest” by North Korea against the start of annual South Korean-U.S. military drills, but acknowledged it was an improvement over previous tests of similar missiles.
“North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats are not imaginary threats any longer, but they’re now becoming real threats,” South Korean President Park Geunhye said of the launch. “Those threats are coming closer each moment.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday called the missile test the “success of all successes,” according to the official state news agency KNCA. Kim said the launch effectively arms the country with fully-equipped nuclear attack capability and puts the U.S. mainland within its striking distance.
The United Nations Security Council was holding emergency closed consultations on the launch late Wednesday afternoon at the request of the United States and Japan.
State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said in a statement that the U.S. strongly condemned the launch and called on North Korea to “refrain from actions and rhetoric that further raise tensions in the region.” She said the missile launch marked the latest in an “accelerating campaign” of missile tests that violate multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.
“The U.S. commitment to the defense of our allies including the Republic of Korea and Japan in the face of these threats remains ironclad,” she said. The missile, fired submarine off the a from eastern North Korean coastal town of Sinpo, reached into Japan’s air defense identification zone, according to Seoul and Tokyo officials. The U.S. Strategic Command said it tracked the launch of the presumed KN-11 missile into the Sea of Japan.
Its 500-kilometer (310mile) flight puts all of South Korea within its range if it is fired near the two countries’ border.
Missiles of such capability could also potentially strike parts of Japan, including U.S. military bases on the island of Okinawa, considering the operational range of North Korea’s Sinpo-class submarines, which can move about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) underwater at a time, said analyst Kim Dong-yub at Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies.
According to KCNA, Kim watched from an observation post as North Korean officials and scientists conducted the test-firing, which the agency said was carried out without “any adverse impact” on neighboring countries.
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 two missiles from submarines earlier this year, but South Korean defense officials believe they exploded in midair after flying less than 30 kilometers (18 miles).
The launch was the latest in a series of missile, rocket and other weapon tests this year by North Korea, which is pushing to acquire reliable weapons that are capable of striking targets as far away as the continental United States.