Pukguksong-3
North Korean submarine Launched Ballistic Missile
The Pukguksong-3 (Korean: 《북극성-3》형; lit. 'Polaris Type 3') is a North Korean two-stage, submarine-launched ballistic missile, likely based on the same motor that powers the Pukguksong-2. First revealed in August 2017 through photo evidence; however, the missile had its first successful flight test on 2 October 2019, two years after its first appearance.
Description
The Pukguksong-3 is a further development from the Pukguksong-2, sharing the same 1.4 m (4.6 ft) diameter, as well as the two-stage, solid-fueled design. With an estimated range of 1,900–2,500 km (1,200–1,600 mi), Pukguksong-3 is capable of striking any US military bases in East Asian region. It also uses inertial guidance system combined with improvements, maintaining acceptable accuracy within its range. Compared to older missiles, the Pukguksong-3 likely represents an incremental step forward in SLBM development, possibly towards an eventual, standardised missile. It is considered to be the largest solid-fueled ballistic missile tested by North Korea as of October 2019.
A report from the Center for the National Interest states that the Pukguksong-3 is intended to move away from the Pukguksong-1 design, instead of following up on it. According to this analysis, the missile is a new platform that would likely improve North Korea's second strike capability.
“Pukguksong-3” enters the record as north Korean submarine Launched Ballistic Missile. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Pukguksong-3, North and Korean can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q31177804. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2017 and 2019.
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