The South Korean military has reported that North Korea may have fired a short-range submarine-launched ballistic missile(SLBM).

The office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday that it detected one short-range ballistic missile believed to be a SLBM launched from waters east of Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, at around 10:17 a.m. 

It added that South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are closely analyzing the specifics of the missile and launch.

The ballistic missile is believed to have hit a top altitude of 60 kilometers with a range of 430 to 450 kilometers.

Speculations are high that North Korea may have conducted its first missile launch from a submarine, as it has been building a submarine that can load missiles in Sinpo.

North Korea conducted underwater missile launches in 2015 and 2019, but the South Korean military maintains that Pyongyang has yet to succeed in launching a missile from an actual submarine, and is instead using an underwater structure that is similar to one.