The South Korean Government has said that North Korea could possess a submarine fleet capable of launching missiles in less than five years.
This assessment follows North Korea’s test launch of a missile from a submarine last week.
South Korea has described the test as “very serious and concerning”, while North Korea has said it is developing nuclear war-heads.
Following the the launch, North Korean President, Mr Kim Jong-un said his country now possessed a “world-level strategic weapon capable of striking and wiping out in any waters the hostile forces infringing upon (North Korea’s) sovereignty and dignity”, state media reports.
On Monday, the South Korean Defence Ministry Spokesman, Kim Min-seok, urged North Korea to stop the development of the weapons.
“We judge North Korea’s underwater test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile to be very serious and a matter of concern. We urge North Korea to immediately stop developing SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles), which hinder the stability of the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia.”
A South Korean defense ministry official who declined to be identified also said that North Korea could be capable of building a fully-operational submarine equipped with ballistic missiles within two or three years – a shorter time frame than many analysts say is needed.
