北韓建造可搭載弾道潛水艇…南韓報道

A few weeks ago the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

北、ＳＬＢＭ搭載可能な潜水艦を建造…韓国報道

2014年11月02日 19時02分

　【ソウル＝吉田敏行】聯合ニュースは２日、韓国政府筋の話として、北朝鮮が潜水艦発射弾道ミサイル（ＳＬＢＭ）の搭載が可能な新型潜水艦を建造したと報じた。

　旧ソ連時代の１９５８年に建造され、９０年まで運用された潜水艦を輸入し、解体後、再設計して完成させたという。

　報道によると、潜水艦は全長約６７メートル、幅６・６メートル。北朝鮮北東部・咸鏡南道の造船所で、地上と海上で数十回にわたり、発射台の実験が行われたとみられ、実験は１～２年以内に完了する可能性が高いとしている。

　韓国政府関係者は２日、本紙の取材に対し、北朝鮮がロシアから輸入した潜水艦を進水させたことは事実とした上で、「発射台に関連した実験もしているとみられるが、技術水準は検証できていない。弾頭の小型化も必要だ」と述べた。

(試譯文)

     On the 2^nd (November) the Union News reported that according the talking within the Korean government sources, North Korea had built a new-style submarine that could load submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).

     It was said that a submarine built by the Soviet Union in 1958 used until 1990s was imported; its dismantling and redesigning had been completed.

    According to a report, the submarine was 6.6 meters in width and about 67 meters in full length. It could be seen that several dozen times of launching pad experiment had been made on land and at sea in a shipyard site in South Hamgyong Province at North Korea’s northeast; and it was assumed that there was a high possibility that all experiments would be completed within one to two years.

    On the 2^nd the people related to the Korean government in response to of this newspaper coverage, based on the fact that North Korea had imported from Russia a submarine and launched it into the water, said that "While we can see launching pad related experiments have been performed, the technological standard cannot be inspected. The miniature of the warhead is also necessary".

It is an interesting development in the Korean Peninsula. I am wondering whether this submariner would cause alarm in China and the US.