SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th September, 2021) South Korea's new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) will serve as a deterrent against North Korean provocations, and Seoul will continue adding to its missile arsenal, President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the South Korean president was reported to have attended a successful SLBM test at a testing ground of the country's national agency for defense research and development.
"Today, we showed, by way of a number of successful missile tests, that we possess sufficient deterrence capabilities and are ready to respond to a North Korean provocation," Moon said in his speech, published by the presidential administration.
The president promised that the country would continue boosting its missile capabilities and do everything possible to create strong defenses to "counteract and overcome the asymmetrical power" of North Korea.
In 1979, South Korea and the United States signed missile guidelines, curbing the former's ballistic missile development in return for the latter's technology and components. Since the 2000s, the agreement has been revised several times until this May, the US lifted the last range guidelines, making South Korea free to develop its missile capabilities.
