Voice of America:
The United Nations Security Council has condemned North Korea for its submarine launched ballistic missile test Saturday, calling it “another serious violation” of existing U.N. resolutions.
In a statement issued Sunday, the Council said these missile activities “contribute to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s development of nuclear weapons delivery systems,” while increasing global tensions.
The statement also warned that the Security Council will “take further significant measures” against the North, just weeks after imposing tough new sanctions to pressure Pyongyang to comply with existing U.N. mandates.
Pyongyang’s state-run KCNA news agency said the latest test, which was personally monitored by leader Kim Jong Un, proved the reliability of its submerged launching system. However, South Korea called the test a failure, noting that the missile traveled only 30 kilometers before falling into the sea.
The flight was well short of the minimum 300 kilometer range for the type of missile tested, and one Seoul government source said the missile’s engine malfunctioned shortly after it was launched.
Obama dismisses N. Korean offer
Earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama said it is “clear that North Korea is actively engaged in provocative behavior.” During a visit to Germany, Obama also dismissed a North Korean offer to impose a moratorium on nuclear tests if the U.S. suspends annual military drills with South Korea.
“We don’t take seriously a promise to simply halt until the next time they decide to do a test,” Obama said.
Obama’s comments came shortly after North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong told the Associated Press his government is prepared to halt its nuclear related testing in exchange for an end to U.S. participation in the annual military training.
North Korea is considered to be in the early stages of developing a submarine based missile launch capability. It has attempted three SLBM tests in the last year. All were believed to have been failures, even though KCNA claimed otherwise, and – according to analysts – videos of past launches were edited to make them appear successful.
SLBM development
Analysts say with each test, Pyongyang is correcting past mistakes and coming closer to developing a dangerous new capability to strike its enemies in the region and even target the U.S. mainland.
Melissa Hanham at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, California said that still photographs of Saturday’s test seem to indicate the submarine based missile has now been upgraded to use solid fuel.
“A solid fuel SLBM would mean they could launch more easily and quickly with potentially less risk to their sub,” Hanham told VOA via Twitter.
Analysts from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies posted a video analysis of Pyongyang’s last submarine missile test in January to prove it was an explosive dud and not the great success claimed by North Korea.
