North Korea tested a new underwater nuclear attack drone this week in response to US-South Korean military exercises, the North Korean state news agency KCNA announced on Friday (March 24th).
From Tuesday to Thursday, the North Korean army deployed off South Hamgyong Province and tested this new weapon system, whose mission is to “to produce a large-scale radioactive tsunami” by an underwater explosion and destroy enemy ships and ports, according to KCNA received in Seoul.
“This underwater nuclear attack drone can be deployed to any coast or port and towed by a surface vessel”, reported the KCNA agency. At the time of the underwater explosion, the drone had sailed for 59 hours and 12 minutes at a depth of 80 to 150 meters.
Joint exercises between South Korea and the United States
The Northern Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party had initiated these tests “for the purpose of warning the enemy against a real nuclear crisis and verifying the reliability of the nuclear self-defense force”.
North Korea had fired several cruise missiles on Wednesday, according to the South Korean army, which is currently conducting large-scale joint exercises with the United States. Pyongyang regards all such exercises as rehearsals for an invasion of its territory and has repeatedly warned that it will respond to them in a manner “massive”.
The new launches and tests come about a week after North Korea test-fired its most powerful missile, the Hwasong-17, its second intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test in 2023.