N. KOREA FIRES MISSILES FROM SUBMARINE

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea announced today their launch of two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine on Sunday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the specifications revealed by the North differ from the ones identified by Seoul's military.

[Pkg]

North Korean state media reported Monday that two cruise missiles were launched from a submarine on Sunday. It claimed that an underwater launch drill was carried out early Sunday morning in waters off Gyeongpo Bay, with two strategic cruise missiles launched from a Sinpo-grade submarine dubbed the August 24th Hero. Gyeongpo Bay is located in waters off Hongwon-gun County, Hamgyeongnam-do Province and refers to an area in Sinpo housing submarine facilities. State media claimed the missiles flew 1,500 kilometers along figure eight-shaped flight paths for two hours and six minutes in the East Sea before striking the target. It also said the weapons system’s reliability was confirmed through the drill and the operational readiness of the submarine fleet’s underwater-to-ground assault capability was verified. Meanwhile, about 10 minutes prior to North Korea’s announcement South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected an unidentified missile launched from a North Korean submarine near Sinpo. A military official confirmed that two cruise missiles were launched from a submarine, but the specifications revealed by the North differ from the ones identified by Seoul's military. The official said military authorities are trying to figure out how much of the regime’s claim was deception and exaggeration. Asked why South Korea didn’t release this information immediately after the launch, JCS Spokesman Lee Sung-jun said Seoul’s surveillance and intelligence-gathering capabilities had to be protected. Another military official added that the North’s movement was already being tracked when the signs of a launch were detected. The JCS stressed that the joint South Korea-U.S. Freedom Shield exercises that began Monday will be carried out as planned even if North Korea tries to interrupt them with missile provocations.