North Korea claimed Wednesday, October 20, to have launched a ballistic missile from a submarine, which, if the information was confirmed, would allow the country, equipped with nuclear weapons, to have a second strike capability. This test could constitute a considerable technological advance at a time when the two Koreas, still officially at war, seem to be engaged in an arms race and the dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang is at a standstill.
North Korean state-run news agency KCNA reported on Wednesday that Pyongyang had successfully tested a “New type” ballistic missile launched by a submarine. The weapon is equipped with “Many advanced control and guidance technologies”, according to KCNA, which claims it was fired from the same submarine, the 8.24-Yongung, than that used by the country during its first test of a strategic sea-to-surface ballistic missile (SLBM) five years ago.
Pyongyang has already carried out two submarine launches, in 2016 and 2019, but the Pentagon and analysts believe they were carried out from a submerged platform. The South Korean army had already explained Tuesday that the device launched was an SLBM fired from Sinpo, in eastern North Korea, towards the sea. The missile traveled about 590 kilometers at a maximum altitude of ‘about 60 kilometers, a source told Agence France-Presse.
Emergency meeting at the UN
If the new missile was successfully fired from an active submarine, it would mark a new stage for the North Korean arsenal, with the possibility of deployment well beyond the Korean peninsula, and a capacity of second strike in the event of an attack on its military bases. The United Nations (UN) Security Council therefore plans to meet urgently behind closed doors on Wednesday afternoon, at the request of the United Kingdom and the United States, according to diplomats.
The White House said the new launch was a threat that only underscored the need ” urgent “ dialogue with Pyongyang, but also its commitment “Unshakeable” to help defend South Korea and Japan. North Korea is hit with a series of sanctions by the UN because it continues to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in contravention of its resolutions.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had three times met with former US President Donald Trump, but talks have stalled since the second summit in 2019 due to lack of agreement on relief international sanctions and the actions Pyongyang was prepared to concede in return. In 2017, North Korea tested missiles that could reach all of the United States and carried out its most powerful nuclear test to date.