Satellite photos suggest North Korea preparing submarine missile test: report
A proven system would take Kim Jong-un’s strike threat to a new level, allowing deployment beyond the Korean peninsula
Recent satellite photos suggest North Korea could be preparing for fresh submarine-based ballistic missile tests, an expert on its military has said.
Joseph Bermudez, a specialist in North Korean defence and intelligence affairs, posted photographs on the 38 North blog of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, which he said could show preparations for a test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
“Recent commercial satellite imagery reveals several developments suggesting that North Korea may be accelerating the development of the sea-based leg of its nuclear forces,” he said.
Activity on a SINPO-class experimental ballistic missile submarine at the Mayang-do navy shipyard and submarine base, he said, suggests “the North may be preparing for a new series of ‘at sea’ test launches, has undertaken modifications or upgrades to the submarine’s launch systems, or is developing a more advanced version of the Pukguksong-1”.