On October 2, the military of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) test-launched what appears to be a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) near the port city of Wosan on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. The missile flew roughly 280 miles (450km), but it reached an altitude of about 575 miles (910 km)—making this the longest-range solid-fuel missile North Korea has ever tested.

The missile likely would have a range between 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) to over 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) under normal launching conditions. Japanese government officials said that they believed the missile landed inside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

According to North Korea's Rodong Sinmun (or Labor Newspaper), the missile was the Pukguksong-3 ("Polaris-3"), the third iteration of the DPRK's sub-launched missile. "The new ballistic missile's test launch was carried out with a high-angle-launch method," the paper reported:

Through the test launches, the core tactics and technical indicators of the newly designed ballistic bombs were scientifically confirmed, and the test launch had no adverse impact on the safety of neighboring countries.

The beloved Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un delivered warm and enthusiastic congratulations to the Defense Scientific Research Units who participated in the pilot on behalf of the Central Committee of the Korean Workers' Party. The success of the new Rodong Sinmun (Labor Newspaper) ballistic missile "Polaris-3" test was a significant achievement in breaking new ground in suppressing the threat of external forces to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and further strengthening the country's self-defense forces.

The missile was launched from a submerged test barge towed behind a North Korean navy support ship. The missile apparently beamed video back to the Defense Scientific Research Unit's position at apogee. The missile subsequently returned to Earth and impacted west of Japan.

Analysts noted Chinese influences on the design of the new missile. "The Chinese programmatic influences on DPRK’s SLBM design choices seem pretty clear," noted Ankit Panda, senior editor of The Diplomat in a post to Twitter. "Pukguksong-1 had a JL-1-ish vibe; this one has a JL-2-ish vibe." But Panda stressed that he didn't mean that there had been any direct technology transfers.

The Chinese programmatic influences on DPRK’s SLBM design choices seem pretty clear. Pukguksong-1 had a JL-1-ish vibe; this one has a JL-2-ish vibe. (Does *not* mean any proliferation occurred, contra some conspiracy theories.) — Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) October 2, 2019

The launch comes on the heels of an announcement by North Korean officials that they planned to resume nuclear weapons talks with the United States later this week.