NIS REPORT ON N. KOREA'S ACTIVITIES

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The National Intelligence Service has reported to the National Assembly Intelligence Committee that North Korea seems to have conducted a ground-based test of a submarine launched ballistic missile that it fired last year underwater. The purpose of the test is apparently to upgrade the missile's performance. The NIS added there are signs that the North could conduct additional launches.

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​​North Korea is presumed to have conducted a ground-based ejection test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile at the Sinpo shipyard in Hamkyongnam-do Province. The fence at the shipyard dock has been removed recently. South Korea's National Intelligence Service reported this to the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, and the committee delivered the information to KBS. 38 North, a website devoted to providing analysis of information about North Korea, was the first to raise the possibility of the North conducting an ejection test at Sinpo shipyard last month. Ejection tests are held to check if submarine-launched ballistic missiles can soar from the water. SLBMs are first test-fired on the ground, then under water, and finally from submarines. North Korea already tested the ejection of its Pukkuksong 3 missile under water last October. Only a submarine launch test appears to be left. If the North had conducted a ground-based test again, it was probably intended to upgrade the missile's performance. The NIS has reported that SLBM underwater ejection equipment continues to be detected in Sinpo shipyard.

[Soundbite] KIM BYUNG-KI(NATIONAL ASSEMBLY INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE) : "A large submarine and underwater ejection equipment are continuously detected at the Sinpo shipyard."

Underwater ejection indicates an actual launch of an SLBM. The North's movements can also be understood as a preparation for an additional launch. South Korea's military and intelligence authorities are closely watching when a new submarine will be launched. The new 3,000-ton submarine that the North unveiled last July is believed to be able to carry up to three submarine-launched ballistic missiles at once. The latest ejection test and the removal of the fence at the Sinpo shipyard dock could be the signs of preparation for additional missile firing.