N Korea conducts ‘underwater nuclear weapons system’ test – state media

N Korea conducts ‘underwater nuclear weapons system’ test – state media

North Korea has announced the testing of its “underwater nuclear weapons system” in reaction to joint military exercises conducted by the US, South Korea, and Japan this week.

According to state media, the underwater drone, purportedly capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, underwent testing off the east coast.

However, there is no independent verification of these tests, and earlier statements from Seoul had dismissed North Korea’s claims about the drone’s capabilities as exaggerated.

South Korea labeled the reported tests as a “provocation” that jeopardizes peace on the Korean Peninsula and globally.

The South Korean defense ministry warned of an overwhelming response if directly provoked, following the principles of immediate, strong, and decisive action. North Korea has previously asserted tests of its “Haeil-5-23” system.

Still, this latest incident coincides with an escalation in North Korean military activities, including the claimed deployment of a new solid-fueled intermediate-range ballistic missile and live-fire drills near the maritime border with South Korea in early January.

Leader Kim Jong Un has exhibited increased aggression in policy and rhetoric, terminating several agreements to maintain peace in recent months.

On Friday, North Korea said it had been provoked by joint drills by Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo to carry out a test of its underwater weapons, according to a report by state agency KCNA.

It accused the exercises of “further destabilizing the regional situation” and threatening the North’s security.

The US, South Korea, and Japan say they have conducted more exercises in the past year as a deterrence response to the increasing frequency of North Korea’s military actions, which include multiple tests of its nuclear ballistic missiles and launches of new weapons. All such actions are in breach of UN sanctions.

But Mr Kim has repeatedly said his regime is building up its military arsenal in preparation for war that could “break out at any time” on the peninsula.

Over the New Year period, he signaled some fundamental policy shifts in his regime’s stance on South Korea.

And earlier this week he declared the former bedrock goal of re-unification with South Korea was over, designating the South as the “principal enemy”.

The rhetoric follows several claimed advances in his country’s military and nuclear capabilities – including in its underwater operations.

Last September, the North revealed what it claimed was its first submarine capable of launching nuclear weapons.

Since March 2023, it has also claimed tests of its Haeil system – unmanned, underwater nuclear-armed drones. Haeil means “tsunami” in Korean.

Little is known about these weapons or their claimed performance but North Korean media has described them as being able to sneak into enemy waters and cause large underwater explosions.

Analysts have said that if the weapons function as presented by the North, they would be seen as a less significant weapon than the regime’s nuclear ballistic missiles.

“Considering North Korea’s defense science level and the fact that the weapon is still in a developing stage, it is not yet at a stage to pose a significant threat,” Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher at the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told news agency AFP.

Late last year Pyongyang also declared it had successfully put a spy satellite in space after earlier failed attempts and has pledged to put three more up this year.

Whether the satellite is actually functioning has yet to be independently verified.

But South Korea said the North had managed to get its satellite up with help from Russia, which in turn reportedly received arms from the North for its war in Ukraine.

Mr. Kim had high-profile meetings with Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin and defense minister Sergei Shoigu last year. North Korea’s foreign minister was also in Moscow this week.