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North Korean submarine ballistic missile test 'fails'

09 July 2016 08:05 (UTC +04:00)

Baku – APA. North Korea has test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine but it failed in its initial flight stage, South Korea's military says, BBC reports.

It says the missile was launched in waters east of the Korean peninsula - the latest in a recent series of tests.

It comes less than three months after a previous attempt to launch a missile from a submarine failed.

North Korea, believed to be developing nuclear weapons, is banned by the UN from any use of ballistic missiles.

"The SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missile) was ejected from the submarine normally, but is estimated the initial flight was unsuccessful," the South Korean military said in a statement.

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe North Korea has condemned a reported North Korean submarine-launched ballistic missile.

The firing of the missile is a “clear challenge to UN Security Council resolutions,” Abe said on Saturday, according to Kyodo news agency.

“We should strongly condemn the launch by working with the international community,” Abe told reporters.