The U.N. Security Council has reportedly called for an emergency meeting to take place after North Korea says that it successfully launched a ballistic missile from a submarine.
“North Korea test-fired a new, smaller ballistic missile from a submarine, state media confirmed on Wednesday, a move that analysts said could be aimed at more quickly fielding an operational missile submarine,” Reuters reported. “The statement from state media came a day after South Korea’s military reported that it believed North Korea had fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) off its east coast, the latest in a string of North Korean missile tests.”
CBS Evening News host Norah O’Donnell reported that the U.N. Security Council had called for an emergency meeting over the incident.
“The U.N. Security Council has just announced that it will hold an emergency meeting after North Korea launched a new ballistic missile,” O’Donnell said. “These are the first pictures of what the North Koreans say is a missile being launched from a submarine, which would be a major advance for the country’s military.”
“And the timing could be deliberate, President Biden’s special envoy for North Korea will reportedly meet with allies in South Korea about reviving those nuclear talks with Kim Jong Un,” she added.
BREAKING: The U.N. Security Council just announced it will hold an emergency meeting following North Korea’s latest missile launch. pic.twitter.com/8zPgMzk3oj
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) October 19, 2021
The announcement comes just days after the Financial Times reported that communist China had successfully launched a hypersonic missile that orbited the globe before turning toward its intended target.
The Financial Times reported:
China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August that circled the globe before speeding towards its target, demonstrating an advanced space capability that caught US intelligence by surprise. Five people familiar with the test said the Chinese military launched a rocket that carried a hypersonic glide vehicle which flew through low-orbit space before cruising down towards its target.
The missile missed its target by about two-dozen miles, according to three people briefed on the intelligence. But two said the test showed that China had made astounding progress on hypersonic weapons and was far more advanced than US officials realized. The test has raised new questions about why the US often underestimated China’s military modernization.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded to the news during Monday’s press briefing by saying that the Biden administration “welcomes stiff competition” from communist China.
“I’m not going to comment on the specific report,” Psaki responded. “I can say and would echo what he said, which is, generally speaking, we’ve made clear, are concerned about the military capabilities that the PRC continues to pursue. And we have been consistent in our approach with China. We welcome stiff competition, but we do not that competition to veer into conflict. And that is certainly what we convey privately as well.”
Richard Grenell, the former Acting Director of National Intelligence responded to Psaki’s comments by saying, “Dear God. The entire Biden [team] doesn’t take the threat from China seriously.”
This report has been updated to include additional information.