North Korea may have tested a nuclear-capable submarine-launched missile, according to the South Korean military.
North Korea fired a ballistic missile early on Saturday afternoon off Sinpo on the east coast, the general staff said. It flew towards the open sea.
It may have been a short-range submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
South Korea’s military is prepared for possible further missile launches by the neighbouring country, it said.
North Korea has been pushing ahead with the development of ballistic missiles for years. These are usually surface-to-surface missiles that, depending on their design, can also carry one or more nuclear warheads. Modern SLBMs are also part of this.
UN resolutions prohibit the country from testing missiles with ballistic missile technology.
North Korea says it has had SLBM technology for some time. But its claims of previous test launches from a submarine have been challenged. It is suspected that North Korea may have used an underwater platform for this purpose. Missiles fired from a submarine are harder to detect by the enemy.
North Korea has already conducted more than a dozen controversial missile tests this year, including at least one test with an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Most recently, North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday, according to South Korea and Japan. It remained unclear exactly what type of missile it was. However, it was not ruled out that an ICBM was also to be tested. A NEWS
