THE US has detected highly unusual North Korean submarine activity, just days after the rogue state conducted its second test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The submarine was evidence of an ejection test, which examines a missiles cold-launch system.

A US defence official told CNN that unprecedented levels of submarine activity has been detected.

These include three "cold ejection" tests in July.

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Since 2008, photographer Eric Lafforgue ventured to North Korea six times. Thanks to digital memory cards, he was able to save photos that was forbidden to take inside the segregated state

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Taking pictures in the DMZ is easy, but if you come too close to the soldiers, they stop you

An ejection test uses high-pressure steam to expel a missile from the launch tube before ignition to reduce the risk of damage to the vessel.

The latest test took place on land at Sinpo Naval Shipyard on Sunday.

Daily Star Online revealed the shocking consequences of war with North Korea.

While tourists are free to visit the secretive state as part of strictly controlled tour groups, they are told to never take photos of soldiers by their handlers. These images taken by photographer Eric Lafforgue show the truth behind North Korean military service: a life of hard physical labour with the perks of visits to the nation's capital

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Many soldiers are used as a labor force to compensate for the ineffective North Korean economy, so the army is not only about military organization.

North Korea who are said to have 70 submarines in its fleet also engaged in unusual deployment activity last month when a Romeo-class submarine travelled 100 kilometres out to sea off the coast of Japan.

The regimes newest vessel, the diesel powered Sinpo-class, is the only one believed to have ballistic missile launch capability.

A recent ICBM test showed North Korea was within range of Alaska though its missiles still couldn't reach the contiguous United States.

After the test, it emerged the US had passed up a chance to assassinate Kim Jong-un, having watched him at the launch site for more than an hour without attacking.

But the brush with death has done nothing to silence the leader, with North Korea now boasting that nuking the US and South Korea had become a "piece of cake".

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North Korea FIRES submarine missile as WW3 fears reach fever pitch - Daily Star