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| North Korea's 1st test launch of a SLBM (File Photo) |
SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine off its east coast into the sea at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula following the start of annual South Korea-U.S. war games, Seoul's military said.
A South Korean defense ministry official told Xinhua that the DPRK test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) at about 5:30 a.m. local time (20:30 GMT Tuesday) off the eastern coastal town of Sinpo in South Hamgyeong province.
The official said the DPRK's SLBM technology appeared to have advanced compared with previous launches as the missile flew about 500 km. Seoul's military has allegedly regarded the flight of more than 300 km in distance as successful.
It was the longest flight among any known DPRK test-firings of SLBM. The launch came just two days after Seoul and Washington kicked off their joint annual war games, codenamed Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG).
Pyongyang has considered the drills as a dress rehearsal for northward invasion, which the two allies claimed to be defensive in nature.
Read the full story at Xinhua