[Editorial] N. Korea's test of missile presumed to be SLBM is step in wrong direction for dialogue

Pyongyang appeared to be pressuring Seoul and Washington to come up with concrete proposals for resuming dialogue

Top envoys for the North Korean nuclear issue, Noh Kyu-duk of South Korea (left) and Sung Kim of the US (right), answer questions from the press on Monday in Washington. (AFP/Yonhap News)

On Tuesday morning, North Korea tested what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) toward the East Sea.

As a strategic weapon, the SLBM has been called a “game changer.” It would be North Korea’s first launch of one in the two years since October 2019.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) identified the launch site in North Korea as the “waters east of Sinpo.” The Sinpo shipyard is where the North has been building a submarine capable of carrying SLBMs, which means the latest test launch may have been the first time the new SLBM was fired from an actual submarine.

The Blue House National Security Council standing committee held an emergency meeting, where it expressed its “deep regret” toward Pyongyang.

The latest launch came at a time when the South Korean government has been focusing its diplomatic energies on getting the Korean Peninsula peace process started again.

On Tuesday, intelligence leaders from South Korea, the US, and Japan met in Seoul to discuss issues regarding the Korean Peninsula and North Korea. On the same day in the US, the South Korean, US, and Japanese senior representatives on the North Korean nuclear issue also held discussions.

Sung Kim, the US special representative for North Korea, said after speaking with his South Korean and US counterparts that he hoped to see continued discussions on the proposal for a declaration officially ending the Korean War, adding that he planned to visit Seoul this weekend to carry on those discussions.

Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, said that he believed past discussions had “deepened the US’ understanding of our ideas for an end-of-war declaration.” Since South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s proposal for a declaration last month at the UN General Assembly, Seoul has pursued concerted diplomatic efforts with the relevant countries in the hopes of restarting dialogue with North Korea.

Under these circumstances, it’s troubling to see Pyongyang throwing cold water on the climate for dialogue by launching an SLBM, which is viewed as a particularly threatening form of weapon.

Not only would an SLBM launch be in violation of UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea, but it is also an especially sensitive form of strategic weapon, which can fire a nuclear weapon undetected.

With the launch, Pyongyang appeared to be pressuring Seoul and Washington to come up with concrete proposals for resuming dialogue — including the easing of sanctions on the North — while also reaffirming its intent to go ahead with weapon development according to its five-year plan for boosting national defense capabilities. South Korea’s successful launch of an SLBM from a submarine last month may also have been a consideration.

North Korea may perceive its geopolitical stature as having risen amid the “new Cold War” between the US and China. But its security and economic issues are not going to be resolved simply through the development of advanced weaponry.

We urge Pyongyang once again to stop raising tensions and agree to take part in dialogue.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]