SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea flight-tested a ballistic missile that was likely fired from a submarine on Saturday, South Korea´s military said, continuing a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations that may culminate with a nuclear test in the coming weeks or months.
South Korea´s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launch occurred from waters near the eastern port city of Sinpo, where North Korea has a major shipyard building submarines.
It said according to AP that the short-range missile flew 600 kilometers (372 miles) at a maximum altitude of 60 kilometers (37 miles) but it didn´t immediately provide details about the submarine that would have been involved in the launch.
South Korean and US intelligence officials were analyzing the launch, the military said, describing it as a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a “serious threatening act that harms international peace and stability.”
Japanese Defense Minister Nobu Kishi told reporters that the missile fell outside of Japan´s exclusive economic zone and that no damage to aircraft or vessels was reported.
South Korea´s national security director Suh Hoon and other senior officials during an emergency meeting denounced the launch and urged North Korea to return to long-stalled talks aimed at defusing the nuclear standoff, Seoul´s presidential office said.
It was apparently North Korea´s first demonstration of a submarine-launched ballistic missile system since October last year, when it fired a new short-range missile from the 8.24 Yongung – its only known submarine capable of launching a missile. The October underwater launch was the North´s first in two years.
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