Kim Dong-yup, a former South Korea Navy officer who teaches at Seoul's Kyungnam University, said the missile could be an advanced version of the KN-23, a short-range ballistic missile first tested in 2019, citing its range, visual resemblance and stated guidance technologies. "It's an interesting development but with only one submarine in the water that can launch notionally one or two of these it doesn't change much." "It just means they're trying to diversify their submarine launch options," said Dave Schmerler, a senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California. Still, the development was expected to have only a limited impact on Pyongyang's arsenal until it made more progress on a larger submarine that has been seen under construction. "Though a smaller North Korea SLBM design could enable more missiles per boat, it could also enable smaller less challenging SSB designs, including easier integration/conversion on pre-existing submarines," Joseph Dempsey, a defence researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said on Twitter. Photos released by KCNA appeared to show a thinner, smaller missile than North Korea's earlier SLBM designs, and may be a previously unseen model first showcased at a defence exhibition in Pyongyang last week.Ī smaller SLBM could mean more missiles stored on a single submarine, although with a shorter range, potentially putting nuclear-armed North Korea closer to fielding an operational ballistic missile submarine (SSB). North Korea has a large fleet of aging submarines, but has yet to deploy operational ballistic missile submarines beyond the experimental Gorae-class boat used in the tests. The "new-type" SLBM was launched from the same submarine involved in a 2016 test of an older SLBM, North Korea's state news agency KCNA said. The United States and Britain plan to raise the North's latest test during a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, diplomats said. "I think considering relaxing sanctions can surely be an option."
"Action must be taken as soon as possible to stop North Korea from further developing nuclear and missile capability," he told parliament. South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Wednesday called for Washington to ease sanctions if the North returns to talks. Pyongyang so far has rejected those overtures, accusing the United States and South Korea of talking diplomacy while ratcheting up tensions with their own military activities. The White House urged North Korea to refrain from further "provocations", with spokeswoman Jen Psaki saying on Tuesday the United States remained open to engaging diplomatically with North Korea over its weapons programmes.
The statement from state media came a day after South Korea's military reported that it believed North Korea had fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) off its east coast, the latest in a string of North Korean missile tests. SEOUL: North Korea test-fired a new, smaller ballistic missile from a submarine, state media confirmed on Wednesday (Oct 20), a move that analysts said could be aimed at more quickly fielding an operational missile submarine.
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