A recent submarine ballistic missile test in North Korea ended in failure, according to one South Korean lawmaker. The politician allegedly made the report during a private parliamentary meeting that was conducted on Monday by the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.
Chairman of the Intelligence Committee of the South Korean National Assembly Joo Ho-young stated that North Korea had conducted the submarine ballistic missile test last Saturday off of the port city of Wonsan, which is located east of the capital city of Pyongyang. Reports indicate that North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un was in attendance.
During the test, the missile allegedly failed to eject from the submarine. Debris for the missile were reportedly later seen on the surface of the water. The intelligence service has refused to comment on exactly what was stated at the private parliamentary session. South Korean defense officials have also declined to provide details, saying that it is a classified matter.
South Korea has long been fearful of a missile threat from North Korea. Earlier this year in May, North Korean officials claimed that the country successfully fired a similar missile during a test. North Korea released photographs of Kim Jong-un watching the missile as it shot out of the water.
However, some weapons experts have questioned the authenticity of the photographs that were released by North Korea. They say that it looks like the photographs were modified in some fashion. Many experts have said that it would be many years before North Korea would have the technology to launch a ballistic missile from a submarine. Such a weapon would be difficult to detect by countries in that region.
Still, South Korean officials maintain that the North Korean test earlier this year in May was a success. The officials stated that the missile flew almost 500 feet before it fell into the sea. It is expected that North Korea will conduct more missile tests in the near future. As a result, South Korea has been working on their own submarine ballistic missiles in order to counter North Korea. In June, South Korea successfully tested a ballistic missile that can be used to strike any part of North Korea.
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