South Korea has said North Korea’s recent test-firing of a ballistic missile from a submarine was “very serious and concerning,” and that it will respond “mercilessly” to the threat.
Pyongyang’s official KCNA news agency said on Saturday North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, oversaw the test-launch of the missile from an offshore location. Such a development could pose a new threat to the isolated country’s neighbours and the United States.
“[South Korea] will completely sever the chain of provocations by mercilessly dealing with any provocations,” South Korean Defence Minister Han Min-koo said in an emergency security meeting held on Monday to discuss the latest test, the Yonhap news agency reported.
“Retribution for provocations is an order from the people,” Han said. “Our military will stand with solid military readiness and make flat-out efforts for citizens to lead their everyday lives at ease.”
Kim Min-seok, spokesman for South Korea’s defence ministry, on Monday urged North Korea to immediately stop developing SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles), “which hinder the stability of the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia”.
He said North Korea still needed time to develop additional equipment in order to make its submarine-launched missile system fully operational.
However, a South Korean defence official said separately that North Korea could develop a fully operational submarine with ballistic missiles within two or three years.
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