North Korea building two submarines capable of firing ballistic missiles

NorthKoreais building two new submarines, including one capable of firing ballistic missiles, a SouthKorean lawmaker said on Tuesday, following a closed-door briefing by the South's National Intelligence Service.

NorthKoreahas a large submarine fleet but only one known experimental submarine capable of carrying a ballistic missile.

"One of the submarinesNorthKoreais building can carry a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)," Ha Tae-keung, an opposition party lawmaker on parliament’s intelligence committee, told Reuters. "One is a modified Romeo Class and the other is a new medium-large size one."

NorthKoreahas been subject to UNSecurity Council sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

NorthKorean leader Kim Jong Un and USPresident Donald Trump have met three times since 2018, but failed to make progress on UScalls for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons andNorthKorea's demands for an end to sanctions.

In July 2019 state media showed Kim inspecting a large, newly built submarine. WhileNorthKoreadid not describe the submarine’s weapons systems, analysts said the apparent size of the vessel indicated it was designed to carry missiles.

Later that yearNorthKoreasaid it had successfully test-fired a new SLBM from the sea, and last month it showcased a new SLBM design during a military parade in Pyongyang.

Kim's vow to unveil new strategic weapons this year also led to speculation thatNorthKoreacould soon deploy an operational ballistic missile submarine.

NorthKoreashowcased a total of 76 missiles in nine different types at a military parade on October10, including the country’s long-range weapons for the first time in two years, Yonhap news agency reported, citing Ha.

After months of speculation over Kim's health, SouthKorea's spies said there were no signs that the young leader was suffering from health problems, Yonhap reported.

The lawmaker also said there was circumstantial evidence indicating that Kim had ordered an investigation into theNorthKorean troops who shot dead a SouthKorean fisheries official who went missing in late September, Yonhap reported.

NorthKorealast week said the shooting of the SouthKorean man in its waters last month was a self-defensive measure amid concerns about the coronavirus.