In this Oct. 3, 2019 photo carried by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency, Pukguksong-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile is launched from a submersible barge. Yonhap

US envoy for North Korea to visit Seoul this week

By Nam Hyun-woo

North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the East Sea, Tuesday, despite the U.S.'s apparent efforts to entice Pyongyang to return to denuclearization talks by opening up the possibility of discussions to formally end the Korean War.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, at 10:17 a.m. However, Japan's military authorities announced the North launched two missiles.

The National Security Council held an emergency meeting shortly after the JCS announcement and expressed "serious regrets" over the incident, noting that North Korea had launched a missile again "despite the ongoing discussions between South Korea, the U.S., China, Japan, Russia and other neighboring countries on a peace process on the Korean Peninsula."

"The members of the council again stressed the urgency of stabilizing the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and urged North Korea to return to talks," Cheong Wa Dae later said.

The U.S. also criticized the North for the missile launch. "The U.S. military sees North Korea's missile launch on Tuesday as destabilizing, but not an immediate threat to the United States or its allies," the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.

People watch a TV screen in Seoul Station, Tuesday, showing a news report about North Korea launching a ballistic missile accompanied by file footage. AP-Yonhap

The South Korean military did not immediately announce how long the missile flew or where it landed; but it was said to have flown 430 to 450 kilometers at an altitude of 60 kilometers. Reportedly, the military assumes that the North launched the missile from a floating platform or a submergible barge, but has not ruled out the possibility of an actual submarine being used.

"There seem to be two possibilities," said Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.