Politics

Pyongyang questions Seoul’s submarine missile launch effectiveness

Seoul, Sep 20 (EFE).- North Korea questioned Monday the effectiveness of the submarine ballistic missile launched last week by Seoul, through comments a senior military official made to state media KCNA concerning escalating tensions in the peninsula.

Pyongyang questioned whether the test announced Wednesday by South Korea really included a submarine missile, and said it was a “rudimentary and embryonic” weapon that could not be used as an effective form of attack.

Jang Chang-ha, scientific head of the North Korean army, said that according to images distributed by the South Korean Government it could be a photographic montage based on “the typical structure and shape of a tactical surface-to-ground missile.”

Jang also said the weapon “is not in the phase of being considered a threat with tactical and strategic value,” according to KCNA.

The regime referred to the test, which South Korean President Moon Jae-in witnessed, in apparent response to the latest weapons tests by the north.

Seoul’s presidential office said in a statement that the projectile flew the expected distance and hit the target “with precision,” a test that made South Korea the eighth country with the capacity to launch submarine missiles along with the United States, Russia, China, India, the United Kingdom, France and North Korea.

The regime led by Kim Jong-un also said it is “monitoring” South Korea’s intentions behind the launch, and accused the neighboring country of “increasing military tension on the peninsula.”

On Wednesday, North Korea tested two ballistic missiles, the first tests since March with this type of weapon whose use is punishable by the UN, and just three days after testing a new cruise missile. EFE

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