North Korea confirms missile test designed for submarine launch
- In Reports
- 06:21 PM, Oct 20, 2021
- Myind Staff
North Korea said that a newly developed ballistic missile was test-fired from a submarine. It is for the first time in two years that an underwater test-launch was done. North Korea said that it will bolster its military’s undersea capabilities.
The test-firing conducted on Tuesday was the fifth round of missile launch since September.
The launch came days before Sung Kim, Biden’s special envoy on North Korea, was to travel to Seoul to discuss with allies the possibility of reviving diplomacy with Pyongyang.
North Korea putting more pressure on both Washington and Seoul to abandon joint U.S.-South Korea military drills and international sanctions on the North. According to North Korea the Joint military drills between Washington and Seoul is a hostile action against it.
The Biden administration has repeatedly said it’s open to resuming nuclear diplomacy with North Korea “anywhere and at any time” without preconditions.
While referring to the latest test-fired, North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said it “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 South Korea also confirms this test launch on Tuesday and said that they detected the North’s missile firing and said 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.
KCNA said the launch was made from “the same 8.24 Yongung ship.” It is the same submarine that North Korea used to conduct its first submarine-launched strategic ballistic missile test in 2016.
Image Courtesy: AP News
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