North Korea’s Ballistic Mischief Submarine

People watch a TV showing a file image of a North Korean missile launch at the Seoul Railway Station on Oct. 2, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea. North Korea fired what was believed to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from waters off its east coast, South Korea's military said, demonstrating its nuclear delivery capabilities just days before resuming denuclearization talks with the United States. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

Commentary

On Oct. 1, North Korea for the first time tested, successfully, its new Pukuksong-3 solid-fueled submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). The very next day, Venezuela and North Korea “signed a series of agreements pledging military and technological cooperation,” according to a report that day by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.