North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile from a submarine toward the East Sea on Saturday, but the projectile sputtered and fell into the ocean after only a few minutes, the South’s Yonhap News Agency reported, quoting the South Korean military.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired the missioe around 6:30 p.m. local time, according to the Yonhap news agency, and that it flew for about 18 miles, well short of the minimum range of 180 miles for a submarine-launched ballistic missile, or SLBM.
A South Korean government source said the missile’s engine ignited after it was fired from a 2,000-ton Sinpo-class submarine but that it only traveled a short distance, Yonhap reported.
The government source told the agency that the projectile was only airborne for a couple of minutes.
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