NKorea Claims Test of Underwater Nuclear-Capable Drone

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Facts

  • North Korea's state media reported on Friday that a new test of its alleged underwater nuclear drone system, dubbed Haeil-5-23, has been carried out in the waters off its east coast, as Pyongyang has ramped up military action this year.1
  • This is the fourth time that the development of the unmanned underwater vehicle, which North Korea claims to be a kind of maneuverable torpedo that can be fitted with tactical nuclear warheads, has been covered by state-run agencies since its public introduction last March.2
  • According to a South Korea-based expert quoted by Al Jazeera, very little is known about the drone, but if there are no major changes from the one allegedly tested last year, it would run around eight knots per hour (up to 9.3 miles) and be vulnerable to anti-submarine warfare.3
  • While it's unclear when the alleged test was conducted, as the report — which has yet to be independently verified — didn't cite a date, Pyongyang said it was a response to three-day naval drills South Korea held jointly with Japan and the US until Wednesday.4
  • Meanwhile, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff stated the exercises involving the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and Japanese helicopter carrier JS Hyūga focused on advancing deterrence and response capabilities to North Korea's military.5
  • The drills reportedly came in response to the North's launch of a solid-fuel hypersonic missile on Sunday. A few days earlier, Pyongyang had staged live-fire exercises along its tense maritime border with South Korea — which Kim Jong Un last week declared his country's 'principal enemy.'6

Sources: 1BBC News, 2NK News, 3Al Jazeera, 4Korea Times, 5CNN and 6France 24.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. There's no independent proof of the Haeil-5-23 test, let alone that it was successful. In any case, Pyongyang is probably exaggerating both the development stage and capabilities of this weapon. Kim's irresponsible war rhetoric, coupled with the ongoing buildup of the world's fourth-largest standing army, indicates a significant strategic shift in which he may be looking to exploit the global geopolitical chaos to unleash a military conflict with the US and its allies. The free world needs to strengthen its military deterrence, for this is the only language Kim understands.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by KCNA Watch. The Haeil-5-23 is further proof that North Korea is technologically capable of defending its territorial integrity and sovereignty militarily, if necessary. It's not Pyongyang that's stoking regional tensions, but the US and its allies. Since Seoul has decided to stick to the geopolitically motivated US hysteria against the North, Pyongyang had no choice but to fundamentally shift its stance toward Seoul. Domestic opposition to the logic of confrontation is growing in South Korea, and by misjudging reality and miscalculating its strength, Washington and its vassals are heading for self-destruction.

Predictions