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| The North's latest show of force came amid a flurry of diplomatic activities to resume the long-stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang. The North's SLBM flew around 590 kilometers at a top altitude of 60 km. (Photo by= Reuters) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] SEOUL: On Wednesday, North Korea announced that it had successfully conducted a test-firing of a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) a day earlier. Last Tuesday, South Korea's military said the North fired a short-range missile believed to be an SLBM from the vicinity of Sinpo, where its main submarine shipyard is located. It marked the North's eighth known major missile test this year.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the Academy of National Defense Science conducted the test-launch from "8.24 Yongung" were its first SLBM was "successfully launched five years ago to demonstrate the military muscle of the DPRK. In a photo released by the North on Wednesday, the number 824 was seen painted on a 2,000-ton class submarine, apparently commemorating the country's SLBM launch on Aug. 24, 2016. "Yongung" is a Korean word for hero.
It’s yet to be confirmed whether the new weapon was actually launched from the submarine this time, not from a barge, but the South Korean military is known to be weighing the possibility it’s actually fired from the sub. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not inspect the firing.
Meanwhile, the new weapon appears to be a mini-SLBM first showcased at a rare defense exhibition held in Pyongyang last week to mark the 76th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.
