North Korea tests ballistic missile ahead of Biden's visit to Seoul

North Korea has reportedly fired a second ballistic missile in recent days after US efforts at the United Nations to impose further sanctions on Pyongyang and claiming it may be preparing for a nuclear test.

South Korea’s military declared on Saturday that the launch of the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) marks the second missile launch in three days by the North, noting that it came just two days before Seoul swears into office a new, hawkish President Yoon Suk-yeol.

"Our military detected around 14:07 (0507 GMT) that a short-range ballistic missile presumed to be an SLBM fired from waters off Sinpo, South Hamgyong," said South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement.

Western press reports describe Sinpo as a major naval shipyard in North Korea, adding that satellite photographs have in the past detected that presence of submarines at the facility.

Moreover, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) Chief Park Jie-won also insisted on Saturday that the North may conduct a nuclear test within the timeframe of President-elect Yoon's inauguration on Tuesday and a visit to Seoul by US President Joe Biden later this month, its Yonhap news agency reported.

Citing an interview with Park, Yonhap further noted that if Pyongyang “miniaturizes and lightens its nuclear warheads, short-range missiles can also be equipped with nuclear warheads, and the potential nuclear test is being viewed as very important because it could threaten both South Korea and Japan.”

Citing information from its defense ministry, Japan's coast guard asserted on Saturday that North Korea had launched an object "likely to be a ballistic missile," alerting its naval vessels about the development.

The announcements followed a new assessment by the US on Friday, with State Department’s deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter claiming that Pyongyang was "preparing its Punggye-ri test site and could be ready to test there as early as this month."

"This assessment is consistent with the DPRK's own recent public statements," she added, referring to North Korea’s official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Pyongyang test-fired what Seoul and Tokyo described on Wednesday as a ballistic missile, with North Korea’s state media -- which typically report on weapons tests – totally ignoring the reported claims.

South Korea reports North Korea missile test as US plans new UNSC bans on Pyongyang

South Korea’s military has claimed that North Korea has launched an unidentified projectile toward the sea off its east coast, amid reports that the US intends to seek new anti-Pyongyang sanctions at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Last week, while overseeing a huge military parade, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to develop his nuclear forces "at the fastest possible speed" and warned of possible "pre-emptive" strikes.

The country has also dramatically ramped up its sanctions-busting missile launches this year, conducting 15 weapons tests including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017.

This is while South Korea tested its own SLBM last year, placing it among a small group of nations that have such technology. Seoul also unveiled a supersonic cruise missile, in what was widely viewed as something of an arms race on the peninsula.

The South's conventional capacity reportedly outstrips that of the North, and Yoon has called for more US military assets to be deployed in the country, a topic likely to be on the agenda when Biden visits Seoul.

Analysts have said the string of launches indicates North Korea's Kim may be warning Seoul he is not open to dialogue with South Korea's new conservative government.

Meanwhile, Biden is due to visit Japan and South Korea later this month where concerns about Pyongyang are expected to be high on the agenda.

A North Korean test could coincide with Biden's visit or with the May 10 inauguration of Yoon, who has vowed to take a harder line against Pyongyang.

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