The DPRK has confirmed that it has successfully tested a new submarine ballistic missile (SLBM) on October 19. This was reported on Wednesday by the Yonhap agency with reference to the Central Telegraph Agency of Korea (CTAC).
“The new SLBM will make a great contribution to the development of defense technologies of our country, as well as the submarine combat capabilities of the navy,” Yonhap quotes a statement from the Central Military Commission. According to the agency, the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, did not participate in the missile tests.
Earlier, the South Korean Chiefs of Staff reported that the DPRK on Tuesday morning launched a ballistic missile from the coastal region in the northeast of the country, which was the eighth test of this kind since the beginning of the year. Seoul estimates it could have been a submarine ballistic missile, as in 2015 and 2019. As Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the Japanese authorities told reporters that Pyongyang had launched two missiles.
The missile had a range of 430-450 kilometres and reached a maximum altitude of 60 kilometres, the South Korean agency Yonhap said, citing sources from the Seoul General Staff.