Anchor: North Korea appears to have succeeded in developing a ballistic missile that can be launched from submarines. North Korea on Wednesday test fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile, or SLBM, off its eastern coast. After a few previous tests deemed unsuccessful, the latest missile flew some 500 kilometers before it dropped in the Japanese air defense zone. The range is long enough to cover the whole of South Korea. Experts said it would take a year or two for North Korea to deploy its SLBMs.
Kim Bum-soo has more.  

Report: North Korea has test fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile(SLBM) in waters off its eastern coast.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the projectile was launched at around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday towards the East Sea off the port city of Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province.

The JCS said that the SLBM flew around 500 kilometers before it dropped 80 kilometers into the Japanese Air Defense Identification Zone.

A military official noted that the flight distance is the farthest a North Korean submarine missile has ever reached and that the North appears to have made technological progress after carrying out a few test launches.

In April of this year, a North Korean missile launched from a submarine ten meters below sea level successfully ejected out of the water, but exploded mid-air after flying around 30 kilometers. In July, the regime saw another failure as its SLBM flew only around ten kilometers.

Experts said that an SLBM launch is deemed successful when it flies over 300 kilometers. Some predicted that North Korea would be able to complete developing the submarine missiles within a year or two. North Korea is now expected to work on building a submarine that can carry a dozen SLBMs. 

The latest missile launch came while South Korea and the U.S. are carrying out their annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian(UFG) military exercise.

As the 12-day command post exercise began on Monday, the North's General Staff issued a statement, threatening to carry out a preemptive nuclear attack at the slightest sign of an invasion. 

Seoul's JCS said that the latest missile launch is a serious challenge to the security on the Korean Peninsula and a grave violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.

Meanwhile, the South Korean Presidential Office convened the National Security Council to discuss the matter.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.