N Korea shows off new strike capability with sub-fired missile

SEOUL — North Korea yesterday test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) 500km towards Japan, marking what weapons analysts called a clear step forward for its nuclear strike ambitions.

The projectile reached Japan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) for the first time. “This poses a grave threat to Japan’s security, and is an unforgivable act that damages regional peace and stability markedly,” said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, adding that Japan had lodged a stern protest. “Japan will deal with the matter resolutely.”

The flight distance, which was tracked by South Korea’s military, far exceeded the maximum of 30km in previous SLBM tests, suggesting significant progress in technical prowess.

A proven SLBM system would take North Korea’s nuclear strike threat to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and a “second-strike” capability to retaliate in the event of an attack on its military bases.

“While there are still a lot of questions about the details, this test certainly seems to have been successful,” said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California. “This system is still in development, but North Korea is clearly making progress.”

Mr Joshua Pollack, editor of the US-based Nonproliferation Review, said claiming to have mastered SLBM technology is as much about prestige as a military breakthrough, a status enjoyed by only six countries including the United States, Russia and China.

“I think it’s meant foremost as a demonstration of sheer technical capability and a demand for status and respect,” said Mr Pollack.

The South Korean Defence Ministry has said the North could be able to deploy a working SLBM within three to four years.

Current United Nations resolutions prohibit North Korea from any use of ballistic missile technology, but Pyongyang has continued to carry out numerous launches following its fourth nuclear test in January.

South Korea has responded by agreeing to deploy a sophisticated US anti-missile system (Thaad).

Mr Lewis noted that an SLBM was an “effective countermeasure” to Thaad and other missile systems with forward-looking radars, since the submarine can launch the missile from behind the radar.

Yesterday’s missile was fired at a high angle, reported South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, an indication that its full range would be 1,000km at an ordinary trajectory. The distance indicated that the North’s push to develop a submarine-launched missile system was paying off, said officials and experts.

North Korea’s “SLBM technology appears to have progressed”, a South Korean military official told Reuters.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry condemned the launch and warned of more sanctions and isolation for its rival that “will only speed up its self-destruction”.

Earlier this month, North Korea fired a land-launched ballistic missile directly into Japanese-controlled waters for the first time, drawing an angry response from Tokyo.

The latest test came just days after North Korea threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike against South Korean and US forces, who kicked off their annual “Ulchi Freedom” military drill on Monday.

Seoul and Washington insist such joint exercises are purely defensive in nature, but Pyongyang views them as wilfully provocative. Washington condemned the test and warned Pyongyang against further provocations. “Our commitment to the defence of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad,” said Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross.

There was criticism from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts in Tokyo. “China is opposed to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development process and any actions that trigger tensions on the Korean peninsula,” said Mr Wang. agencies