S. Korea sees DPRK's SLBM technology partially advanced

South Korea's military on Sunday said the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) submarine- launched ballistic missile (SLBM) technology is partially advanced after Pyongyang's announcement of its test of a missile from a submarine.

Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Kyun told an unscheduled briefing that the DPRK's SLBM technology is partially advanced in underwater ejection capabilities, saying that Pyongyang is hastening the SLBM development.

Moon said the DPRK is expected to deploy submarine-launched missiles within the next three to four years, but he noted that the deployment date could be brought forward if Pyongyang spends all of its capabilities on the development.

His comments came hours after the DPRK's official KCNA news agency reported on the country's successful launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine. The test was guided by top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

The KCNA said that the DRPK-style SLBM met all technical thresholds to carry out an underwater attack operation that targets South Korea and the United States. It marked the second time since May 9, 2015 that the DPRK announced its successful test of an SLBM.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Saturday that the missile, fired from a 2,000-ton DPRK submarine, was ejected from underwater and flew some 30 km for several minutes. But, it said it was very short of the flight of about 300 km required to be seen as a success.

The spokesman said South Korea's military continued to have developed a tailored deterrence strategy with the United States to defend the country from the DPRK's nuclear and missile threats.

He added that the military would enhance its anti-SLBM defense capability by using its navy's submarines, maritime patrol aircraft and Aegis-equipped destroyers and introducing further early warning radars to detect and track ballistic missiles.