Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Muskan Arora
North Korea has conducted a test of its underwater nuclear weapons system, known as "Haeil-5-23," in response to joint military drills by South Korea, the United States, and Japan, as reported by state media KCNA.
According to CNBC USA, an unnamed spokesman from North Korea's defence ministry accused the United States, South Korea, and Japan of intensifying military exercises, issuing a warning of potential "catastrophic consequences." The test was conducted off the east coast, with the date unspecified in the report.
The underwater nuclear weapons test follows a three-day joint military drill involving the navies of the United States, South Korea, and Japan, along with the U.S. aircraft carrier Carl Vinson. North Korea denounces these exercises, asserting that they contribute to enhancing its countermeasures.
The North Korean spokesman emphasized the ongoing development of the country's "underwater nuke-based countering posture." Various maritime and underwater actions are intended to deter perceived hostile military manoeuvres by US and its allies.
While North Korean state television has previously broadcasted atmospheric explosion tests, monitored by U.S. and South Korean authorities, the reported underwater weapon test was not aired anywhere.
The newly tested drone system, named "Haeil" (meaning tsunami), was reportedly first tested in March 2023. State media claims the system is designed for sneak attacks in enemy waters, capable of destroying naval strike groups and major operational ports through an underwater explosion creating a large radioactive wave.
Days after North Korea fired a new intermediate-range, solid-fuel hypersonic missile, condemned by Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, the reported underwater weapons test further escalates tensions. The nuclear envoys of the three allies gathered in Seoul to condemn North Korea's arms trade with Russia and its increasingly hostile rhetoric.