N Korea tests submarine-launched ballistic missile, says S Korea – Times of India

Seoul: North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, taking Japan’s new prime minister off the campaign trail and a major arms fair in Seoul. Oversees the opening.
The US military’s Indo-Pacific Command described the launch as destabilizing, but decided it did not pose an immediate threat to the United States or its allies.
South Korean and US officials were investigating whether the missile was a smaller, previously unseen version displayed at an exhibition in Pyongyang last week, a South Korean military source told Reuters, citing an ongoing analysis.
They were also investigating whether the missile was fired from North Korea’s experimental Gora-class submarine, he said on condition of anonymity.
The reported launch by officials from South Korea and Japan came after US and South Korean envoys met in Washington on Monday to discuss the nuclear standoff with North Korea.
The launch is the latest weapons test by North Korea, which continues with military developments despite international sanctions on its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
“Our military is monitoring the situation closely and in close cooperation with the United States in readiness to prepare for possible additional launches,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
He said the missile was launched at around 10:17 a.m. from sea in the vicinity of Sinpo, where North Korea maintains equipment for submarines as well as test-firing SLBMs.
It was not immediately clear whether the missile was fired from a submarine or from a submersible test barge, as had been the case in most previous tests. A military source said it flew a maximum altitude of 60 km (37 mi) from about 430 km to 450 km (267 to 280 mi).
North Korea’s last SLBM test was in October 2019, when a Pukguxong-3 missile was fired from an underwater platform, flying at a maximum altitude of 450 km to 910 km.
Former South Korean naval officer Kim Dong-yup, who is a professor at Seoul’s Kyungnam University, said the latest test probably involves the recently unveiled SLBM by North Korea.
The North displayed the new Pukguxong-4 during military parades in October and January, respectively, and the previously unseen, smaller missile was spotted at last week’s defense fair in Pyongyang.
South Korean officials say North Korea is also working on what would be its first operational submarine capable of launching an SLBM.
The Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative has said the SLBM capability could provide North Korea with additional options for nuclear launch and a defense against the destruction of land-based nuclear systems.
international standoff
South Korea’s National Security Council expressed regret over the test and urged North Korea to resume talks.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said two ballistic missiles had been detected, adding that it was regrettable that North Korea conducted multiple missile tests in recent weeks.
There was no immediate explanation from South Korea or Japan on the conflicting number of missiles discovered.
Kishida canceled scheduled operations in northern Japan, and the deputy chief cabinet secretary said he planned to return to Tokyo to deal with the missile situation.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said in a statement that spy chiefs from the United States, South Korea and Japan met in Seoul on Tuesday to share information on the missile test and agreed to share intelligence.
US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim said he would visit Seoul this week for talks.
“The US continues to reach Pyongyang to resume talks,” Kim said after meeting with his South Korean counterpart in Washington on Monday.
“We have no hostile intentions towards (North Korea), and we stand ready to meet them without any preconditions.”
Chad O’Carroll of Korea Risk Group said the recent launch, as well as the unusual military show in its capital, shows that North Korea is back in the military and military after nearly two years of focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic. can look at world affairs.
“Pyongyang focuses on one big strategic issue at a time, so a renewed test military – later foreign policy – may suggest a priority now,” he said on Twitter.
missile race
Analysts have said the missiles recently tested by North Korea are intended to match or surpass an arsenal South Korea is quietly expanding.
The successful test of an SLBM last month made the South the first country without nuclear weapons to develop such a system. North Korea tested the missile from a train on the same day.
Neighbors held defense exhibitions this month to showcase their latest weapons amid an escalating arms race.
News of Tuesday’s missile launch came as representatives of hundreds of international companies and foreign armies gathered in Seoul for the International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX), which organizers called the biggest defense expo ever.
South Korea is also preparing to test its first indigenous space launch vehicle on Thursday.
Analysts say the rocket has some potential applications as a weapon, but such tests are unlikely to be welcomed by North Korea.