North Korea tests likely submarine-launched ballistic missile: ROK . South Korea’s military says DPRK likely launched missile into the East Sea from submarine off Sinpho
North Korea has launched a presumed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) toward the East Sea, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) confirmed on Saturday, its second missile test in less than a week.
What appeared to be four new Pukguksong-class submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) were rolled out on truck trailers
on April 25, 2022, North Korean military parade | Image: KCNA
North Korea has launched a presumed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) toward the East Sea, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) confirmed on Saturday, its second missile test in less than a week.
South Korea’s military said it detected the missile around 2:07 p.m. KST. JCS said it “presumes” North Korea launched the missile from a submarine off the coast of Sinpho, South Hamgyong province, where a large shipyard is located. The Japanese Coast Guard said at 2:25 p.m. KST said that the missile “is believed” to have splashed down, making for a possible flight time of around 18 minutes or less.
JCS initially referred to the missile as a “short-range ballistic missile presumed to be an SLBM” and later estimated it flew 373 miles (600 kilometers) at an altitude of 37 miles (60 kilometers).
Joseph Dempsey, a research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), told NK News that the initial data on Saturday’s launch appears largely similar to Pyongyang’s last SLBM test in Oct. 2021.
The latest test was likely of a “depressed trajectory, which would be consistent with the KN-23 derived SLBM first tested in Oct. 2021,” he said, adding it is likely not the same model as what was rolled out on April 25 during North Korea’s latest military parade.
In terms of whether North Korea used a barge or submarine for the latest launch, Dempsey said it is “too early to say at this stage” to determine. “North Korea claimed that [a] submarine was used in the first test of the KN-23 modified SLBM, but it could of been a barge, particularly given the higher risks associated with a first test.”
Yang Uk, a research fellow at Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies, agreed that it was likely the KN-23 SLBM, but remained open to the possibility of a KN-24. He also told NK News Saturday’s SLBM may have been fired from the DPRK’s 8.24 “Yongung,” a Gorae-class submarine, but noted that the altitude was lower than expected.
“Saturday’s test was likely of the same type as the Oct. 2021 test, and it does not seem like [North Korea] has made any significant progress since then, according to the data available so far,” Yang told NK News.
Seoul’s National Security Council (NSC) held an emergency meeting regarding the likely SLBM launch and “condemned” North Korea for violating U.N. Security Council Resolutions and causing a “grave threat” to the Korean Peninsula and the world, a presidential Blue House press release stated.
In a separate press release, the Blue House said that President Moon Jae-in – set to leave office in two days – has ordered his military, foreign and security officials to “do their best in keeping the security readiness position airtight … to the very last day” of his tenure.
SIMILAR TO OCT. 2021 TEST?
On April 25, during a military parade marking the founding anniversary of its military, North Korea rolled out what appeared to be large, two-stage solid-fuel ballistic missiles similar to Pukguksong-model SLBMs larger than the Pukguksong-5 model. Pukguksong-4 solid-fuel SLBMs were rolled out at the Oct. 2020 military parade, and the Pukguksong-5 model was showcased at the Jan. 2021 parade.
Saturday marks North Korea’s first apparent SLBM test in around seven months. Pyongyang last tested an SLBM on Oct. 19, 2021, also from the Sinpho region. The South Korean military at the time reportedly estimated that the SLBM reached an altitude of around 37 miles (60 kilometers) and flew around 367 miles (590 kilometers).
North Korean state media the following day said the test was of a “new” type of SLBM that “introduced many developed controlling and homing technologies including the lateral movement and gliding and jumping movement.”
The likely SLBM test is North Korea’s second weapons test in a week, following what the South Korean military described as a single ballistic missile on May 4 from near the country’s capital. North Korean state media has not reported on the test yet.
Saturday’s test also comes just days before South Korea’s new President Yoon Suk-yeol will be inaugurated and as U.S. officials warn that North Korea could be gearing up for a nuclear test as soon as this month.
Ifang Bremer and Ethan Jewell contributed to this report. Edited by Arius Derr
