On Thursday, a day after South Korea’s military stated that North Korea had carried out a ballistic missile test involving a submarine, Pyongyang confirmed that it had successfully carried out an underwater-launched ballistic missile test, which was the first launch of this kind in three years. North Korean state media hailed the test, saying that it “ushered in a new phase in containing the outside forces’ threat to (North Korea) and further bolstering its military muscle for self-defense.”
Analysts consider the test to be an attempt by Pyongyang to put pressure on Washington right before the start of a new round of working-level negotiations scheduled for this weekend.
North Korean leader Kim Jung-un met with US President Donald Trump in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea earlier this year. During that meeting, both leaders agreed to a new round of talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, but the prospects that such talks would actually materialize seemed slim in the past few months, with North Korea repeatedly slamming US sanctions and carrying out a variety of missile tests.
Read more: North Korea says underwater-launched missile test succeeded
