North Korea announced Wednesday that it had tested a newly developed missile designed to be launched from a submarine.
The first such weapons test in two years and one it says will bolster its military’s underwater operational capability.
The test Tuesday was the fifth missile launch since September and came as North Korea steps up pressure on Washington and Seoul to abandon what Pyongyang sees as hostile polices such as joint US-South Korea military drills and international sanctions on the North.
KCNA said Tuesday’s launch was to made from “the same 8.24 Yongung ship,”. A submarine that North Korea said it used to conduct its first submarine-launched strategic ballistic missile test in 2016.
Photos published by North Korea show a missile rising and spewing bright flames above a cloud of smoke from the sea. Acquiring submarine-launched missiles would be a worrying development because that would make it harder for the North’s rivals.
New missile has introduced advanced control guidance Technologies
North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said the latest test will greatly contribute to putting the defense technology of the country on a high level and to enhancing the underwater operational capability of our navy.”
It said the new missile has introduced advanced control guidance technologies including flank mobility and gliding skip mobility.
The North’s neighbors said Tuesday that they detected the North’s missile firing. The weapon landed in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
South Korea’s military described the missile as a short-range submarine-launched ballistic missile.
The launch was to made from waters near eastern port of Sinpo, where North Koreaa has major shipyard building submarines.