DPRK missile fired from submarine appears to have failed: RoK
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired a ballistic missile from a submarine on July 10, but it appears to have failed soon after launch, the Republic of Korea's military said.
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The DPRK on July 7 warned it was planning its toughest response to what it deemed a "declaration of war" by the United States. The warning followed Washington's blacklisting of the isolated state's leader Kim Jong Un for alleged human rights abuses.
The RoK's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was launched at about 11:30 a.m. Seoul time (0230 GMT) in waters east of the Korean Peninsula.
The missile was likely fired from a submarine as planned, but appears to have failed in the early stage of flight, the Joint Chiefs said.
Japan, the United States and the RoK's military condemned the missile launch as a flagrant violation of United Nations sanctions.
The RoK's Yonhap news agency said the missile's engine successfully ignited, but the projectile soon exploded in mid-air at a height of about 10 km (6 miles), and covered not more than a few kilometers across the water.
The RoK's military declined to confirm those details citing its policy of not publicly commenting on intelligence matters.
The missile was detected in the sea, southeast of the DPRK city of Sinpo, the RoK's military said. Satellite images indicate Pyongyang is actively trying to develop its submarine-launched ballistic missile program in this area, according to experts.
