Anchor: North Korea fired what is presumed to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile(SLBM) Wednesday morning. If confirmed, it would be the first North Korean SLBM test in over three years. Observers say the launch is aimed at pressuring Washington ahead of U.S.-North Korea working-level talks set to open later this week.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more. 

Report: North Korea has fired what appears to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile(SLBM) into the East Sea.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said that the projectile was launched at approximately 7:11 a.m. Wednesday from waters off the North's eastern coast. 

The missile soared to a maximum altitude of around 910 kilometers and flew a total of around 450 kilometers.

Japan said the North Korean missile fell within its exclusive economic zone off Shimane Prefecture at 7:27 a.m.
  
The JCS said that the projectile is presumed to be a variation of the North's Pukkuksong SLBM. In 2016, North Korea test launched the KN-11 Pukkuksong three times, raising concerns over its covert warhead delivery capabilities.

The South Korean military is analyzing if the missile was launched from a barge or a submarine.
 
Earlier in July, North Korean state media revealed a newly-built submarine while reporting about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's naval inspection. The vessel is estimated to be about 70 meters long and less than three-thousand tons with approximately three launch tubes.

Observers say Wednesday's SLBM test may be an attempt to apply pressure on the U.S. ahead of working-level negotiations scheduled to resume Saturday, and may reflect North Korea's desire to include security guarantees as a key agenda item at the upcoming talks.  

During a parliamentary audit of government agencies on Wednesday, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said it appears that the North fired the SLBM at a reduced range, citing that the Pukkuksong missile has a maximum range of 13-hundred kilometers.    

The presidential office convened an emergency National Security Council standing committee meeting and expressed serious concerns that the North would launch a missile days before resuming working-level talks with the U.S.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.