SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th 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.
On Wednesday, Pyongyang reportedly held tests of two cruise missiles towards the Sea of Japan.
Later in the day, the South Korean Foreign Ministry's special envoy for peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, Noh Kyu-duk, had discussions on the missile tests with the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Takehiro Funakoshi, and US special envoy for North Korea Sung Kim, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry.
"They have agreed to continue the close coordination on the nuclear issue of North Korea and other questions, as the two countries stably manage the situation on the Korean peninsula," the press statement of the ministry read.
Funakoshi, on his part, agreed with Noh Kyu-duk to proceed in the communication based on the results of the trilateral meeting, involving Sung Kim as well, which was held on Tuesday in Tokyo.
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.
