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2nd LD Writethru: DPRK test-fires submarine-launched ballistic missile in eastern waters

Xinhua, April 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in eastern waters, ahead of its army founding day anniversary next week, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSC) said.

A JCS official told Xinhua over phone that the projectile, estimated to have been a missile launched from a DPRK submarine, was fired at about 6:30 p.m. local time (0930 GMT) in waters off the DPRK's South Hamgyong province.

The official declined to elaborate on whether the SLBM launch had succeeded, saying the military is closely monitoring the move of DPRK forces for further provocations.

A South Korean government source was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying that the projectile flew for several minutes, indicating the DPRK's first successful launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine.

Yonhap reported that the projectile, launched from a 2,000-ton submarine, was known to have successfully been ejected from under the waters and ignited.

On Nov. 28, 2015, the DPRK conducted an SLBM ejection test, but it was believed to have failed as the submarine's launch pipe was partially broken, according to Yonhap report.

The Saturday launch came ahead of the 65th anniversary of the Korean People's Army (KPA)'s founding day that falls on April 25.

Concerns spread here about possible DPRK provocations as seen in Pyongyang's launch of a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile on April 15 when the country celebrated the birthday anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the country's late founder and the grandfather of current DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

South Korean military and government sources were quoted by multiple local news outlets as saying that the DPRK appeared to have completed preparations for its fifth nuclear test at its main nuclear test site in Punggye-ri in northeastern DPRK.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye said earlier this week that signs of preparations for the DPRK's fifth nuclear test have been detected.

South Korea's defense ministry has estimated that if the DPRK stages another nuclear test, it would be an underground test of a nuclear warhead or a launch of a ballistic missile carrying a detonator from which nuclear materials are removed.

Security experts estimated that the DPRK would test its nuclear device within two weeks given that the historic Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) congress is expected to kick off on May 7. The 7th party congress would be the first such event since 1980.

Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un gave orders on March 15 to test a nuclear warhead and ballistic rockets capable of carrying the warhead "in a short time" to enhance credibility of its nuclear strikes. Enditem