N. Korea ‘likely fired submarine missile’

Regime is suspected of launching an SLBM from the port of Sinpo in the east

North Korea appears to have fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile for the first time in two years, adding to a series of tests demonstrating Kim Jong-un’s pursuit of nuclearcapable weapons that can evade US interceptors.

The regime is suspected of launching an SLBM yesterday from the eastern port of Sinpo into waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, South Korea’s military said.

While authorities in Seoul didn’t say whether the missile was fired from a vessel or underwater platform, the Yonhap News Agency cited a person familiar with the matter as saying it might have been launched from a submarine.

Kishida slams launch

While North Korea launched an SLBM from a submerged platform in October 2019, it hasn’t launched one from an actual boat since 2016.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the launch, noting that ballistic missile tests violated United Nations resolutions against North Korea’s weapons program. South Korea’s National Security Council expressed “strong regret” over the action while the US Indo-Pacific Command urged North Korea to “refrain from any further destabilising acts.”

Stalled talks

The launch came as intelligence chiefs from the three allies met in Seoul to discuss how to advance stalled nuclear talks with North Korea, with South Korean President Moon Jae-in advocating greater engagement.

South Korea is set to launch tomorrow its new three-stage Nuri rocket, which was designed to put a satellite into orbit.

Kim has shown off an expanding range nuclearcapable weapons in recent days, including a series of submarine-based missiles and numerous other rockets displayed at a defence expo last week in Pyongyang. Such advances demonstrate for US President Joe Biden the extent of Kim’s gains since vowing to “work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula” during his landmark summit with former President Donald Trump in 2018.