North Korea carried out yet another missile launch, presumably from a submarine, "Voice of America" reports.
The military commands of South Korea reported the launch of a missile presumably located on a submarine. It's already the 15th missile launch North Korea has carried out this year.
The short-range rocket was launched in the afternoon on 7 May from the Sinpho area in the sea direction near the east coast of DPRK, Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea reported.
Japan's coast guard also confirmed the launching of a ballistic missile the flight of which lasted for around 15 minutes. The Japanese news agency Kyodo reported that the missile flew about 600 kilometers and landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
The launch took place three days after the last missile test which, contrary to the tradition, the North Korean media didn't report the next day.
"This tends to suggest that the regime would like to keep its progress secret or didn't want to admit the failure of the test," said Leif-Eric Easley, the adjunct professor of international research at Ewha Woman's University in Seoul. “In any case, it's obvious that Pyongyang will carry out another test soon."
North Korea has conducted missile launches from the southern dockyard "Sinpo" using an experimental submarine with ballistic missiles as well as a submersible test barge. In 2022 the Juche regime intensified missile tests. At the end of March, North Korea carried out its first long-range missile launch in the past four years.
The U.S. State Department warned on 6 May that North Korea could carry out another nuclear test this month as the preparations on the main nuclear testing site in the northeastern part of the country indicate. The DPRK has not conducted nuclear tests in almost five years before this.
The United States has repeatedly stated its readiness to resume talks with Pyongyang on the nuclear embargo with no preconditions, but North Korea rejected or ignored those requests.
While Western media reports and U.S. officials often describe North Korea's launches as "provocations", there is growing evidence that the DPRK concentrates on the military aspect of the tests.
Some observers suggest that North Korea launches missiles to attract Washington's attention and resume the dialogue. But there is more and more evidence that Pyongyang is concentrating on improving its military capabilities to deter threats," professor Easley said.
The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned a week ago that he can "preventively" use his country's nuclear weapons if necessary to resist enemy forces. At the end of April, he also warned that his nuclear forces had been tasked not only to deter the country's enemies but also to strike against everyone who restricts "North Korea's fundamental interests".