North Korea Test-Fires Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile

North Korea has recently confirmed that it had successfully test-fired a new type of submarine launched ballistic missile, which is a significant escalation from its earlier short-range tests. The test has once again alerted the United States, as the test came hours after North Korea said nuclear talks with the US would resume soon.

The ballistic missile was fired in a vertical mode in the waters off Wonsan Bay. The missile is identified as the SLBM as a Pukguksong-3, North Korean Central News Agency reported.

KCNA also said the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent, “warm congratulations” to the research units, who are involved in the project, after the successful launch. The project had no adverse impact on the security of neighboring countries”.

The news agency also added, the test firing “ushered in a new phase in containing the outside forces’ threat to the DPRK and further bolstering its military muscle for self-defence”.

Before the missile test, the US and North Korea had confirmed that a preliminary nuclear talk would take place within the next week. Now, it is not clear whether they will go ahead with the talks or not but the US state department responded to the test by calling on Pyongyang to “refrain from provocations and remain engaged in substantive and sustained negotiations” aimed at bringing denuclearisation.

Negotiations between the US and North Korea have been on hold since the Hanoi summit between US President Donald Trump and Kim in February, which ended without any agreement. 

According to United Nations Security Council resolutions, North Korea is banned from launching the ballistic missiles. As it affects neighboring territories as Japan has complained that a part of the missile also landed in waters within its exclusive economic zone.

South Korea, meanwhile informed that the missile flew about 450km (280 miles) and reached an altitude of 910km before landing in the sea. It also means the missile flew twice as high as the International Space Station.

It came down finally in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea. The missile landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, which is a band of 200km around Japanese territory.

The missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, is North Korea’s 11th test this year. The submarine capable missile is also very much significant because, if the missile was launched on a standard trajectory, instead of a vertical one, it could travel around 1,900 km and that would have put all of South Korea and Japan into its range.

Being submarine capable is important as it means North Korea could also launch missiles far outside its territory. In the previous 10 missile tests carried out earlier this year, only short-range projectiles were test fired.

Also the missile being launched from a submarine can make missiles harder to detect and allows them to get closer to their targets. The one and only drawback is North Korea’s submarines are powered by diesel, which makes them noisier and easier to detect sometimes.