Politics

Pyongyang claims underwater nuclear weapon system test

Seoul, Jan 19 (EFE).- North Korea said Friday that it has once again tested an underwater drone with the capacity to generate nuclear tsunamis in response to joint Naval drills by Washington, Tokyo and Seoul.

The North Korean defense ministry said it had carried out “an important test” of its Haeil-5-23 underwater nuclear weapon system under development in the Sea of Japan.

The North’s response follows joint military exercises between the United States, Japan and South Korea, which Pyongyang considered “a cause of further destabilizing the regional situation.”

“Our army’s underwater nuke-based countering posture is being further rounded off and its various maritime and underwater responsive actions will continue to deter the hostile military maneuvers of the navies of the U.S. and its allies,” said the Ministry of Defense note released today by KCNA state news agency.

It also warned Washington and its allies of “catastrophic consequences” and said it would not tolerate “reckless military confrontation hysteria of the enemies.”

North Korea tested this type of weapon three times in March and April 2023 and referred to it then as Haeil-1 (Tsunami-1 in Korean) and Haeil-2, so Haeil-5-23 could in this case be a new version of the system.

Some experts have questioned whether Pyongyang could already have an operational weapon of this type, capable of generating nuclear tsunamis to hit enemy fleets and ports, like the Russian Poseidon torpedo.

Between Monday and Wednesday, South Korea, the United States and Japan carried out joint Naval drills in the waters of the southern peninsula, which included the participation of a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and came in response to Pyongyang’s recent test launch of a new hypersonic missile. EFE

asb-emg/tw

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