Submarine-launched ballistic missile

North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile on May 7, Seoul said, its second missile launch in three days after the United States warned Pyongyang could be preparing for a nuclear test.

North Korea said on Oct. 20 that it had test-fired a newly developed ballistic missile from a submarine, in its first such underwater test-launch in two years and one it says will bolster its military's undersea capabilities.

North Korea fired a suspected submarine-launched ballistic missile into the sea on Oct. 19, the South's military said, the nuclear-armed country's latest advance in weapons technology and one that could give it a second-strike capability.

Nuclear-armed North Korea unveiled a new submarine-launched ballistic missile at a military parade in Pyongyang, state media reported on Jan. 15 in a show of strength days before Joe Biden's inauguration as U.S. president.

North Korea fired what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on April 23 off its east coast, South Korea said, amid concerns that it might conduct a nuclear test or a missile launch ahead of a key ruling party meeting in May.

North Korea released a video showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watching a missile eject from underwater, going up vertically into the air, just three days after the country stated that it conducted a hydrogen bomb test.

The video is not dated, but the reporter says the launch was conducted in December.

North Korea's test-firing of a ballistic missile from a submarine was "very serious and concerning", South Korea said on May 11, with one defence official suggesting Pyongyang could have a fully operational platform in two or three years.