North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Offers Smiles, Hugs After Missile Test

North Korea’s state-run media Thursday boasted of the success of a submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test from waters off the eastern city of Sinpo a day before, saying the launch demonstrated the “tremendous power” of a nation now “fully equipped with nuclear attack capability”.

Thursday marks the anniversary of the “Military First” policy initiated by Kim Jong Un’s father, the late Kim Jong Il, and the priority position the military continues to enjoy in North Korea was on full display.

North Korea has been heavily sanctioned over its missile and nuclear weapons development programs but they say they are justified because of the threat posed by the USA and South Korea.

“He appreciated the test-fire as the greatest success and victory”, it said.

“The SLBM launched earlier in the day indicated [technical] improvements compared with the North’s previous tests”, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) were quoted as saying.

Analysts agree that North Korea’s latest SLBM test-firing indicates that the country is making progress in the development of a submarine-launched missile system that could also carry a nuclear warhead.

North Korea claimed that the rocket stages separated successfully after its SLBM test launch in April, but the South Korean military argued that the separation was a failure, citing the fact that the missile only flew for about 30 km.

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the latest launch of a ballistic missile, fired from a submarine by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is “deeply troubling”.

The test launch is believed to be part of North Korea’s SLBM development project, which North Korea has pushed ahead with during a time of faltering cooperation between its neighbors in Northeast Asia because of the conflict over the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system. In the smaller picture, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and air force commander Ri Byong-chol laugh and smoke while watching the launch.

Once again, Pyongyang threatened its rivals, in particular the “US imperialists” and the “South Korean puppet group”, which are now staging a joint military exercise “aiming at a preemptive nuclear strike at the DPRK with huge nuclear strategic assets involved”, according to the article.

It was speculated that the North used a higher angle to shorten the missile’s range and not provoke Japan. It flew about 300 miles before falling into the sea inside Japan’s air defense identification zone, the area in which Tokyo controls aircraft movement.

China said on Wednesday that it opposes the North’s nuclear and missile programmes. If North Korea also rushes to deploy its SLBM without adequate testing, the South Korean military would probably have no choice but to take precautionary measures. The report by 38 North said the hermit kingdom could still face significant technological challenges, such as building a new class submarine to carry the missile.

The missile was launched at a steep angle, a South Korean military source told Yonhap News Agency in Seoul, and likely could have traveled for more than 600 miles if it had been fired at a regular angle.

The UN Security Council agreed on Wednesday that an emergency meeting should be called to consider a statement on North Korea’s missile activity.

North Korea has conducted a spate of military technology tests this year, including a fourth nuclear test in January and numerous ballistic missile launches. Liquid fuel is not a safe choice for SLBMs, since it can slosh around in the tank when the missile is ejected from the submarine’s launch tube, causing the missile to wobble or the tank to rupture.

South Korean military concluded that it reached an altitude of 500 kilometers, about 350 kilometers higher than the normal altitude of 150 kilometers.