North Korean state media have confirmed the widely reported mysterious missile test as involving a submarine-based ballistic missile, greatly expanding Pyongyang’s capabilities ahead of disarmament talks with the US.

“The successful new-type SLBM test-firing comes to be of great significance as it ushered in a new phase in containing the outside forces' threat to the DPRK and further bolstering its military muscle for self-defense,” the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) announced on Thursday.

The missile, launched early on Wednesday local time, was identified by military experts as the Pukgukseong-3 SLBM.

It was the first missile launch since the test of two unidentified projectiles on September 10, and the 11th missile launch since May, when North Korea resumed testing after the failure of talks with the US in Vietnam.

New shots of what the North Koreans are calling (Pukgukseong-3) are wild pic.twitter.com/sKHGVmS7Mn — Dave Schmerler (@DaveSchmerler) October 2, 2019

Personal diplomacy between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hit a snag in Hanoi in February, when the US side rejected Kim’s proposal to remove some sanctions as a goodwill gesture, since Pyongyang had already dismantled a nuclear testing site.

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The US State Department announced on Tuesday that the talks with North Korea would resume next week at staff level, offering no further details. Trump has previously brushed off the launches, saying that while Kim “likes testing missiles” that should not derail the talks.

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