North Korea launched a missile from a submarine this weekend from waters near the North Korean city of Sinpo, in the northeast of the country, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South Korean Armed Forces said Monday, according to the Yonhap news agency.
North Korea has confirmed the launch of »strategic cruise missiles» from a submarine. The projectiles would have traveled a distance of 1,500 kilometers and flew for 125 minutes.
The launch would be a response to the start this Monday of the joint military maneuvers Freedom Shield between South Korea and the United States.
Our forces are reinforcing their vigilance and maintaining their full readiness in close cooperation with the United States,» the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff explained in a statement released to the press.
The U.S.-South Korean maneuvers will take place for eleven days, until March 23. They are the longest maneuvers ever carried out by the two countries.
With these maneuvers, the two countries seek to send a message to North Korea as it threatens to develop its nuclear program.
North Korea has criticized these maneuvers and announced »important, practical» measures for the »offensive use» of deterrent warfare assets. South Korean media assume that there will be North Korean military tests coinciding with the joint maneuvers with the United States.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
