North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Amid Regional Tensions
On Friday, North Korea launched at least one ballistic missile, according to Seoul’s military. This event occurred just a week after U.S. President Donald Trump approved South Korea’s plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine. Analysts have warned that this development could provoke a strong reaction from Pyongyang.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. The missile landed in the sea outside Japan’s economic waters, and no damage or injuries were reported, according to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Over the past few years, North Korea has significantly increased its missile testing activities. Experts believe these tests are aimed at enhancing precision strike capabilities, challenging both the United States and South Korea, and testing weapons for potential export to Russia.
A defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, Ahn Chan-il, told AFP that from North Korea’s perspective, the possibility of sudden attacks from the East Sea would be a source of anxiety. If South Korea acquires a nuclear-powered submarine, it would be able to enter North Korean waters and monitor or intercept weapons such as submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
Trump had announced that South Korea would build the submarine in the United States, where nuclear technology is among the most sensitive and tightly guarded military secrets. Unlike diesel-powered submarines, which must regularly surface to recharge their batteries, nuclear-powered ones can remain submerged for much longer periods.
‘Irreversible’ Nuclear State
Analysts suggest that developing a nuclear-powered submarine would represent a significant advancement for South Korea’s naval and defense industrial base, placing it among a select group of countries with such vessels. According to media and analysis reports, only the United States, Australia, China, Russia, India, France, and Britain have moved toward nuclear-powered submarines.
Since the 2019 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump collapsed over the scope of denuclearization and sanctions relief, Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state. Kim has since gained confidence from the war in Ukraine, securing critical support from Moscow after sending thousands of troops to fight alongside Russian forces.
North Korea did not respond to Trump’s offer to meet with Kim last week. Instead, its Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui traveled to Moscow, where she and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to strengthen bilateral ties. In September, Kim appeared alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at an elaborate military parade in Beijing—a striking display of his elevated status in global politics.
Trump met Kim three times during his first term and once famously said the pair had fallen “in love,” but he ultimately failed to secure a lasting agreement on North Korea’s nuclear program. Their meeting, however, did not take place last week.
Possible Talks with Washington
Despite the proposed meeting with Trump not materializing, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun stated earlier this week that Seoul’s spy agency believes Kim was still open to talks with Washington “and will seek contact when the conditions are in place.” Although the proposed meeting with Trump did not happen, “multiple signs suggest” that Pyongyang “had been preparing behind the scenes for possible talks with the US,” said the lawmaker.