Deployment of Anchangho-class SLBM... Will it be used as a countermeasure during North Korea's military parade?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] As our military has effectively deployed submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), attention is focusing on North Korea's response. North Korea is highly likely to hold a large-scale military parade in Pyongyang on the 9th to mark the 73rd anniversary of its regime establishment, and may once again showcase SLBMs as a countermeasure.

On the 7th, a government official said, “With our military deploying SLBMs on the first 3,000-ton class submarine (Dosan Ahn Changho) independently designed and constructed, the SLBM tensions between South and North Korea are expected to intensify.”

Currently, North Korea is reportedly deploying troops and various new weapons at the Mirim Airfield in Pyongyang. In particular, recent detection of nighttime fighter jet flights over Pyongyang has raised the possibility of a “night airshow.”

Moreover, authorities anticipate that North Korea is likely to unveil strategic weapons such as new SLBMs and various tactical missiles during the parade. Military and intelligence agencies are closely monitoring the possibility that North Korea will hold the parade at night again. North Korea held a dawn parade on October 10 last year, the 75th anniversary of the Workers' Party founding, and also conducted a nighttime parade on January 14 to commemorate the 8th Party Congress.

At the January parade commemorating the 8th Party Congress, North Korea revealed the Pukguksong-5 model. It is evaluated to have an increased warhead weight compared to the Pukguksong-4ㅅ (Siot) unveiled at the Workers' Party 75th anniversary parade in October last year.

The SLBM revealed at that time clearly showed the inscription “Pukguksong-5 ㅅ.” This indicates it is an improved version of the previously disclosed Pukguksong-4ㅅ. North Korea tested the Pukguksong-1 (estimated range 1,300 km) from a Sinpo-class submarine in August 2016, and in October 2019, it conducted underwater launch tests of the Pukguksong-3 (estimated range 2,000 km). Analysts suggest that the Pukguksong-5ㅅ has a longer warhead length than the Pukguksong-4ㅅ revealed last year, indicating a move toward multiple warheads.

At the Ministry of National Defense regular briefing that day, Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs Officer Kim Jun-rak stated, “The military is closely tracking and monitoring preparations for large-scale events such as parades linked to upcoming North Korean internal schedules through close cooperation between South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies.”

The United States is also paying close attention to North Korean movements, dispatching three RC-12X (Guardrail) reconnaissance aircraft of the U.S. Forces Korea to the front-line area for reconnaissance flights against North Korea on the morning of the same day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.