North Korea Tests Underwater Attack Drone
North Korea announced on Friday that it had conducted a test of a purported underwater nuclear attack drone, in response to a joint naval exercise between South Korea, the United States, and Japan. The country continues to blame its rivals for escalating tensions in the region.
This alleged drone test comes shortly after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared that his country would abandon its long-standing goal of a peaceful unification with South Korea. He also stated that South Korea would now be defined as its most hostile foreign adversary, and that North Korea would rewrite its constitution accordingly.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have reached their highest point in years, with Kim Jong-un accelerating weapons demonstrations and making threats of nuclear conflict. In response, the United States and its Asian allies have been strengthening their combined military exercises.
According to Shin Jong-woo, a military expert at the Korea Defense and Security Forum based in Seoul, the test was not of a nuclear device, but rather of an "underwater self-explosive drone." Shin explained that North Korea was conducting a navigation test to assess the performance of the battery-powered underwater suicide drone over long distances and extended periods of time.
North Korea Tests Unmanned Underwater Nuclear Attack Boat
The North Korean military has reportedly tested an unmanned underwater nuclear attack boat called the Haeil-2. The test took place between April 4 and 7 of last year. This is one of the many weapon systems that North Korea has demonstrated in recent years as its leader, Kim Jong Un, expands the country's arsenal of nuclear-capable weapons.
South Korea's military has expressed skepticism about the capabilities of the drone, stating that North Korea has exaggerated its capabilities. The alleged purpose of the drone is to carry out strikes on enemy vessels and ports.
The test was conducted in the eastern waters of North Korea in response to naval drills by the United States, South Korea, and Japan. The North Korean Defense Ministry stated that the test was a part of their efforts to deter hostile military maneuvers by the navies of the US and its allies.
In response to the test, the North Korean government issued a statement denouncing the US and its followers for threatening their security and warning of catastrophic consequences.
