South Korea tests first submarine-launched ballistic missile

SANAA, Sept. 07 (YPA) – South Korea has test-fired a ballistic missile (SLBM) from a submarine, becoming the first country without nuclear weapons to develop such a capability.

A new Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine successfully carried out the underwater ejection tests last week, after similar tests were conducted from a submerged barge last month, Yonhap reported.

The defence ministry said it cannot confirm details of individual military capabilities for security reasons.

Seven other countries are developing submarine-launched ballistic missiles — the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, India and North Korea.

All of these countries have arsenals of nuclear weapons, which are usually used to arm such ballistic missiles.

According to Yonhap, the conventionally armed South Korean missile has reportedly been codenamed the Hyunmoo 4-4 and is believed to be a variant of the country’s Hyunmoo-2B ballistic missile, with a flight range of around 500 kilometres (311 miles).

South Korea has developed increasingly powerful missiles designed to target heavily fortified bunkers and tunnels in North Korea, as well as a way to decrease its military dependence on the United States, which stations thousands of troops on the peninsula.

E.M