North Korea Tests Possible Submarine-launched Missile
2021-10-20
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1North Korea on Tuesday fired at least one long-distance missile which South Korea's military said was likely designed to be launched from a submarine.
2The launch of the missile came after South Korea successfully tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile, or SLBM, last month.
3South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that the missile flew about 430-450 kilometers, reaching a height of 60 kilometers.
4South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that North Korea launched a ballistic missile from waters near the eastern port of Sinpo.
5But it did not say whether the missile was fired from an underwater structure or a launch area above the surface.
6Sinpo is a major center for North Korea's defense industry where the country builds submarines.
7In recent years, North Korea has also used Sinpo to develop ballistic weapons systems designed to be fired from submarines.
8There have also been signs that North Korea is trying to build a larger submarine that would be able to launch more than one missile.
9North Korea last tested an SLBM in October 2019.
10It fired a Pukguksong-3 missile from an underwater launch structure.
11But the North has not shown that it can fire an SLBM from a submarine.
12Leif-Eric Easley is a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
13He said, "North Korea's SLBM is probably far from being operationally deployed with a nuclear warhead, but (North Korean leader) Kim cannot politically afford appearing to fall behind in a regional arms race."
14Other experts say that it would take years for North Korea to build submarines that could operate quietly and effectively execute strikes.
15Such an effort would require large amounts of resources and major technological improvements.
16The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command stated that North Korea's latest launch did not present an immediate threat to U.S. troops, territory or allies.
17Last month, North Korea claimed that it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile.
18The state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, released a picture of a test launch of a missile called the Hwasong-8.
19A hypersonic missile can fly very fast and very low making it harder for missile defense systems to recognize and defend against.
20South Korea is also starting a major defense modernization plan.
21The plan calls for several new missiles, fighter jets and the nation's first aircraft carrier.
22Later this week, South Korea is expected to launch its first space rocket developed in the country.
23Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said tensions on the Korean Peninsula were at a "critical stage."
24He called for renewed efforts toward a diplomatic resolution of the issue.
25South Korea and the United States have repeatedly offered to restart nuclear talks with North Korea also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK.
26Sung Kim is the U.S. diplomat for North Korea.
27He said Monday, "To reach this objective, we will seek diplomacy with the DPRK."
28The aim, he said, was to reduce tension and increase the security of the U.S. and its allies.
29"We harbor no hostile intent towards the DPRK, and we are open to meeting with them without preconditions," he added.
30In a speech last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rejected those offers.
31"Recently, the United States has frequently sent signals that it is not hostile to our state, but its behaviors provide us with no reason why we should believe them," Kim said.
32I'm Jonathan Evans.
1North Korea on Tuesday fired at least one long-distance missile which South Korea's military said was likely designed to be launched from a submarine. 2The launch of the missile came after South Korea successfully tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile, or SLBM, last month. 3South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that the missile flew about 430-450 kilometers, reaching a height of 60 kilometers. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that North Korea launched a ballistic missile from waters near the eastern port of Sinpo. But it did not say whether the missile was fired from an underwater structure or a launch area above the surface. 4Sinpo is a major center for North Korea's defense industry where the country builds submarines. In recent years, North Korea has also used Sinpo to develop ballistic weapons systems designed to be fired from submarines. There have also been signs that North Korea is trying to build a larger submarine that would be able to launch more than one missile. 5North Korea last tested an SLBM in October 2019. It fired a Pukguksong-3 missile from an underwater launch structure. But the North has not shown that it can fire an SLBM from a submarine. 6Leif-Eric Easley is a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. He said, "North Korea's SLBM is probably far from being operationally deployed with a nuclear warhead, but (North Korean leader) Kim cannot politically afford appearing to fall behind in a regional arms race." 7Other experts say that it would take years for North Korea to build submarines that could operate quietly and effectively execute strikes. Such an effort would require large amounts of resources and major technological improvements. 8The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command stated that North Korea's latest launch did not present an immediate threat to U.S. troops, territory or allies. 9Last month, North Korea claimed that it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile. The state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, released a picture of a test launch of a missile called the Hwasong-8. A hypersonic missile can fly very fast and very low making it harder for missile defense systems to recognize and defend against. 10South Korea is also starting a major defense modernization plan. The plan calls for several new missiles, fighter jets and the nation's first aircraft carrier. Later this week, South Korea is expected to launch its first space rocket developed in the country. 11Calls for talks 12Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said tensions on the Korean Peninsula were at a "critical stage." He called for renewed efforts toward a diplomatic resolution of the issue. 13South Korea and the United States have repeatedly offered to restart nuclear talks with North Korea also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK. 14Sung Kim is the U.S. diplomat for North Korea. He said Monday, "To reach this objective, we will seek diplomacy with the DPRK." The aim, he said, was to reduce tension and increase the security of the U.S. and its allies. 15"We harbor no hostile intent towards the DPRK, and we are open to meeting with them without preconditions," he added. 16In a speech last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rejected those offers. "Recently, the United States has frequently sent signals that it is not hostile to our state, but its behaviors provide us with no reason why we should believe them," Kim said. 17I'm Jonathan Evans. 18Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English with reporting from AP and VOANEWS. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor. 19____________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21ballistic missile -n. a weapon that is shot through the sky over a great distance and then falls to the ground and explodes 22afford -v. to be able to pay for something 23regional -adj. something that happens in only in an area such as a part of a country or a part of the world 24critical -adj. extremely important or serious 25stage -n. a point in the development of something 26harbor -v. to have something in one's mind for a long time 27intent -n. the thing that you plan to do or achieve : an aim or purpose 28frequently -adv. happening often 29We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.