On Tuesday, October 19, North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile into the sea in what South Korea's military described as a weapon likely designed for submarine-based launches. The test marked possibly the most significant demonstration of the North's military might since President Joe Biden took office.
This was reported by the Yonhap agency.
The launch came hours after the U.S. reaffirmed its offer to resume diplomacy on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. It underscored how the North continues to expand its military capabilities amid a pause in diplomacy.
The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it had detected the North firing one short-range ballistic missile it presumed as a submarine-launched ballistic missile from waters near the eastern port of Sinpo, and that the South Korean and U.S. militaries were closely analyzing the launch.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said North Korea's latest launch did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or that of its allies.
"The United States condemns these actions and calls on the DPRK to refrain from any further destabilizing acts," it said, using an abbreviation of North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
But Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said his country's initial analysis suggested that the North fired two ballistic missiles. Japan's coast guard issued a maritime safety advisory to ships but didn't immediately know where the alleged missiles landed.
It's worth noting that country has tested various weapons over the past month, including a new cruise missile that could potentially carry nuclear warheads, and a developmental hypersonic missile.
The test of the hypersonic missile on Sept. 28 came shortly before North Korean Ambassador Kim Song called for the Biden administration to permanently end joint military exercises with South Korea and the deployment of strategic military assets to the region in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
However, the last time the country tested an SLBM was October 2019.
On Wednesday, October 20, North Korea officially announced it had tested a newly developed missile designed to be launched from a submarine, the first such weapons test in two years and one it says will bolster its military's underwater operational capability.