North Korea may be readying another missile test: reports

July 24, 2017

The Korea Herald:

North Korea may be preparing for another ballistic missile test, possibly involving a submarine this time, media reports have suggested, raising concerns over further escalation of military tensions on the Korean Peninsula following a “game-changer” missile test earlier this month.

According to reports by NHK and CNN last week, US defense officials detected unusual activity of North Korea’s Romeo-class submarine: It has been engaging in an underwater mission for a week after sailing some 100 kilometers out into waters between North Korea and Japan.

The officials called it “unusual deployment activity,” saying the North’s submarine usually returns to its base within four days and the Romeo-class often conducts missions near its home base in Sinpo, South Hamkyong Province.

With the US and South Korea ratcheting up monitoring of the North after the July 4 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, analysts warned it could be an indication Pyongyang is preparing to fire off a submarine-based ballistic missile, such as a variant of the Pukguksong-1 that the regime successfully test-fired in August 2016.

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