North Korea Claims Test Of Nuclear-Capable Underwater Drone

Facts

• North Korea on Friday claimed to have test-fired a new nuclear-capable underwater attack drone that it said could trigger a "radioactive tsunami" during a military exercise overseen by leader Kim Jong Un this week.¹
• According to North Korean state media, the new weapon system called "Haeil" (Tsunami) detonated a non-nuclear charge in waters off the country's east coast on Thursday after traveling at a depth of 80 to 150 meters (260-500 feet) for more than 59 hours.²
• In development since 2012, the unmanned attack drone is allegedly capable of creating a "super-scale radioactive tsunami" via an underwater detonation and destroying naval vessels and ports.³
• The underwater drone exercise comes as the US and South Korea concluded large-scale joint military exercises dubbed Freedom Shield that began March 11, and after the US, India, Japan, Canada, and South Korea kicked off military exercises last week.⁴
• During the 11-day US-South Korean drills, Pyongyang reportedly launched several cruise missiles from its South Hamgyong province on Wednesday and tested a short-range ballistic missile off its eastern coast on Sunday.⁵
• While North Korea intensified its military modernization campaign and carried out a record number of weapons tests in 2022, South Korea and the US are stepping up their military cooperation. Both sides cite the need to strengthen their defense capabilities.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Reuters, ³NK News, ⁴New York Post,⁵RNZ, and ⁶Al Jazeera (b).

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Japan Times. For decades, North Korea has invoked Washington's supposedly hostile policy to justify its increasingly aggressive posture. Yet it was Pyongyang that resumed escalation after Seoul and Washington suspended most of their joint exercises during the Trump administration. By constantly conducting new weapons tests and expanding North Korea's nuclear capabilities, Kim has solidified the regime's pariah status, not broken it.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Global Times. North Korea's weapons tests are a symptom, not the cause, of regional tensions. The US bears the main responsibility for declining diplomatic relations with North Korea, especially as the Biden administration has switched back to a confrontational course following former Pres. Trump's efforts at de-escalation. By fueling conflict, the US hopes to establish closer ties with Japan and South Korea to cut into China’s regional influence.

Predictions