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Thursday, October 03, 2019, 11:42
DPRK says underwater-launched missile test succeeded
By Associated Press
Thursday, October 03, 2019, 11:42 By Associated Press

In this Oct 2, 2019, photo provided Oct 3, 2019, by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's government, an underwater-launched missile lifts off in the waters off DPRK's eastern coastal town of Wonsan. (KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY /  KOREA NEWS SERVICE VIA AP)

SEOUL, Republic of Korea — The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) confirmed Thursday it has carried out its first underwater-launched ballistic missile test in three years, in an apparent bid to dial up pressure on the United States ahead of a weekend resumption of their nuclear diplomacy.

Wednesday’s test of the Pukguksong-3 missile, which the DPRK describes as a submarine-launched ballistic missile, is seen as the DPRK’s most high-profile weapons launch since it began diplomacy with the US early last year. Some experts say DPRK wants to show to the US what would happen if diplomacy fails again.

ALSO READ: DPRK: Nuclear talks with US to resume this weekend

The Korean Central News Agency said the test of the Pukguksong-3 missile in the waters off its east coast was successful and “ushered in a new phase in containing the outside forces' threat to North Korea and further bolstering its military muscle for self-defense.”

The DPRK is also referred to as North Korea.

It didn’t say which outside forces threaten its security. But DPRK has previously said it was forced to develop nuclear-armed missiles to cope with US military threats.

The KCNA report didn’t elaborate on whether the missile was fired from a submarine, a barge or other underwater launch platform. DPRK-dispatched photos showed the missile rising and spewing bright flames above a cloud of smoke from the sea, but the launch platform was not identifiable.

Kim Dong-yub, an analyst from Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, wrote on Facebook that the missile was likely fired from a barge built for an underwater launch. He said the missile is under development and that DPRK must test-fire it from a submarine before deploying it.

The Republic of Korea’s Defense Ministry said the DPRK missile traveled about 450 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 910 kilometers. Ministry officials said the missile flew higher than any other short-range weapons DPRK test-fired in recent months.

KCNA said the missile was launched in a vertical mode and that its test had no adverse impact on the security of neighboring countries. It said Kim sent “warm congratulations” to the national defense scientific research units involved in the test-firing.

If fired at a standard trajectory, Kim, the analyst, said the missile could have travelled 1,500-2,000 kilometers. He said the Pukguksong-3 is a medium-range missile. The DPRK hadn’t tested a medium- and long-range missiles since its entrance to talks with the US.

The DPRK and US officials are to meet on Saturday to restart diplomacy on how to end the DPRK nuclear crisis. That diplomacy largely remains stalemated after the February breakdown of a second summit between President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam.

The DPRK has recently warned its dealings with the US may end if Washington fails to come up with new proposals to salvage the nuclear diplomacy by December.

Pukguksong, or Polaris, is a solid-fuel missile in the DPRK’s weapons arsenal. The country first test-launched a Pukguksong-1 missile from an underwater platform in 2016, and Kim said at the time his military had gained "perfect nuclear-attack capability." A year later, the DPRK test-launched a Pukguksong-2, a land-based variant of the missile.

READ MORE: DPRK fires projectiles days before resuming US talks

The DPRK having an ability to fire a missile from a submarine is a threat to the United States and its allies because such launches are harder to detect early enough to respond. The use of solid fuel also increases a weapon’s mobility.

After Wednesday’s launch, the US State Department called on DPRK "to refrain from provocations, abide by their obligations under UN Security Council resolutions, and remain engaged in substantive and sustained negotiations to do their part to ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and achieve denuclearization."

Japan lodged an immediate protest, saying the missile landed inside its exclusive economic zone for the first time since November 2017.

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