SEOUL\u00a0\u2014 North Korea on Saturday tested what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile in the Sea of Japan, the South Korean defense ministry said, with the US and UK strongly condemning the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“North Korea launched a projectile which was believed to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) around 6:30 pm (0930 GMT) in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) near the northeastern port of Sinpo,”\u00a0a defense ministry spokesman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We are keeping close tabs on the North Korean military and maintaining a full defense posture,”\u00a0he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The missile flew 30 kilometers (18 miles) but the launch “appeared to have failed,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UK Foreign Minister Philip Hammond said the test showed North Korea’s “blatant disregard” for its international obligations, while the US described it a “clear violation” of UN Security Council resolutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We call on North Korea to refrain from actions that further destabilize the region,” US State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
North Korea has been pushing to acquire SLBM capability that would take its nuclear strike threat to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and the potential to retaliate in the event of a nuclear attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has conducted a number of what it says were successful SLBM tests, but experts question the claim, suggesting Pyongyang had gone little further than a “pop-up” test from a submerged platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The test-firing comes as North Korea gears up for a rare and much-hyped ruling party congress early next month, at which leader Kim Jong-Un is expected to take credit for pushing the country’s nuclear weapons program\u00a0to new heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Numerous analysts have suggested the regime might carry out a fifth nuclear test as a display of defiance and strength just before the congress opens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tension has been high on the divided Korean peninsula since Pyongyang’s fourth nuclear test in January and rocket launch a month later that was widely seen as a disguised ballistic missile test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UN Security Council responded by imposing its strongest sanctions to date over the North’s nuclear weapons program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pyongyang has responded by staging a series of short- and mid-range missile tests and claiming a series of significant technical breakthroughs in its nuclear strike capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It claimed it had miniaturized a nuclear warhead to fit on a missile and successfully tested an engine designed for an inter-continental ballistic missile that could reach the US mainland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While some experts say the claims are exaggerated, most acknowledge that the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs have made significant strides.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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