China Informed South Korea in Advance of Pacific SLBM Test Launch

▲ China conducts test launch of 10,000km-range SLBM

It was learned today, July 7, that China notified South Korea of its plan to conduct a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test in the high seas of the Pacific Ocean before carrying out the launch yesterday, July 6.

It is reported that China provided prior notification of the plan through military attaché channels at the South Korean Embassy in China.

An official from the Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the notification, stating, "It is a matter related to diplomacy and national defense, so disclosure is restricted."

The Chinese military announced the previous day that one of its naval strategic nuclear submarines had successfully launched one submarine-launched strategic missile equipped with a training dummy warhead into the high seas of the Pacific.

The Global Times, a state-run media outlet affiliated with the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China, cited military experts as saying that the missile is highly likely to be the JL-3, a third-generation SLBM with a range of over 10,000 km.

Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng, a spokesperson for the People's Liberation Army Navy, stated on social media after the launch that it was "a routine part of China's annual military training, and relevant countries were notified in advance." South Korea was among the relevant countries notified.

According to Japanese media reports, the launch was likely conducted from waters near Macau, east of Hainan Island, toward the Pacific Ocean.

Given the trajectory, the launch did not affect South Korean airspace or the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ), but it appears that South Korea was notified as a neighboring country in the region.

Local media reported that China also notified the Japanese government of the launch in advance, and that Japan requested a reconsideration to ensure the launch would not threaten its national security.

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