S Korea fires first submarine-launched ballistic missile

SEOUL: South Korea successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile on Wednesday, becoming only the seventh country in the world with the advanced technology and raising the prospect of a regional arms race.

The test, supervised by President Moon Jae-in, came hours after nuclear-armed North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea, according to the South’s military, and as China’s foreign minister visited Seoul.

It is a strategic advance for the South, which has been strengthening its military capabilities as it seeks to counter the threat posed by the North, which is under international sanctions for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. "It’s extraordinary timing that you have not one but two Koreas testing ballistic missiles on the same day," Yonsei University professor John Delury said.