Kim Jong Un Considers SLBM Launch Successful
On Thursday, state media Korean Central News AgencyNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un called his country's launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine "the greatest success", adding that North Korea has full capacity to perform nuclear attacks.
Kim reportedly observed the set up of the submarine-launched ballistic missile on Wednesday and commented that it was "the greatest success and victory."
The Korea Herald reported in an article that the KCNA mentioned that the leader said the results of the test-fire showed that his country "joined the front rank of the military powers fully equipped with nuclear attack capability."
The South Korean military said the missile flew about 500 kilometers and reached the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) of Japan before falling into waters in the Japanese territory.
According to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday, "North Korea test-fired one SLBM in waters near Sinpo in South Hamgyong Province at around 5:30 a.m. Today. As the missile flew 500 kilometers, the launch, this time, appears to have progressed compared to a number of SLBM launches in the past. We are analyzing the latest launch jointly with the United States."
A military source also added that the said missile could have flown more than 1,000 km if it was fired off at a regular angle, a sign of the advancements in North Korea's missile program.
The official further said, "The missile soared as much as it flew. To fly 500 kilometers, a missile would just need to reach 15o kilometers in height. But apparently, to show off that it was capable of sending it farther, the North seemed to have put the missile at a higher angle and therefore reduced its range (to 500 kilometers) intentionally."
Lee Ho Ryung, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses commented that the seeming success of the SLBM signified "an upgrade in the level of threat" by the North and its attempt to "diversify means of threat."
He continued, "From its repeated tests of SLBM launches, the North has improved its SLBM technology as well as its stability in execution."