Source: Asia Times:
The U.S. Strategic Command said it had tracked what it believed to be a KN-11 submarine-launched ballistic missile and confirmed it flew about 300 miles.
“I think it was probably successful,” said Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies. “We don’t know the full range, but 500 km is either full range or a full range on a lofted trajectory. Either way, that missile works.”
The launch comes two days after rival South Korea and the United States began annual military exercises in the South that North Korea condemns as a preparation for invasion, and has threatened retaliation.
China’s Xinhua news agency said the launch could be seen as a response to the drills, calling the exercises “a dangerous game.”
Beijing is Pyongyang’s main ally but has joined past U.N. Security Council resolutions against the North. It has been angered by what it views as provocative moves by the United States and South Korea, including their July decision to base an advanced anti-missile system in South Korea.
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.”
Categories: Asia, North Korea