North Korea said Friday it successfully tested an "underwater nuclear weapons system" in response to the joint naval exercises led by the United States, South Korea and Japan earlier this week. The Haeil-5-23 system, among the other names for the country's nuclear-capable underwater attack drones, was tested in the waters off its east coast, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said quoting the defence ministry's think tank.
The test showed "invincible might" of the North Korean military and its "unshakable will" to defend its sovereignty and dignity against "the hostile military manoeuvres of the navies of the U.S. and its allies", it added. It further accused the three countries of "further destabilising the regional situation" and touching on the security of the North.
The test came as the U.S., South Korea, and Japan conduct a three-day joint drill involving a U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, and other warships in waters around the Korean peninsula. According to the statement by the U.S. Navy, this drill which concluded on Wednesday aimed for improved readiness and interoperability among the three allies against growing threats from North Korea's nuclear and missile advancements.
North Korea has repeatedly condemned the joint exercises as a rehearsal for invasion and an act of provocation that would infringe on its sovereignty. It's also ramped up both its military actions and rhetoric in the past weeks, saying that on Sunday it tested a new solid-fueled intermediate-range ballistic missile and during the first week of January conducted live-fire drills at the maritime border with South Korea.
North Korean leader has also grown increasingly assertive in his policy direction and statements terminating several agreements aimed at peace-keeping in recent months and declaring the former bedrock goal of re-unification with South Korea as over. He also named the South as the "principal enemy," and vowed on building up his North's armory in preparation for a provocative war, that could "break out at any time" on the peninsula.
The underwater nuclear weapons system test is the latest in a series now of claimed advances in the North's military and nuclear capabilities, especially its underwater operations. In September 2023, the North unveiled what it claimed was its first nuclear weapons-equipped submarine, Sinpo-C class. It has also claimed tests on the Haeil system, unmanned underwater nuclear-armed drones that it says can infiltrate enemy waters and cause large underwater explosions since March 2023.
Nevertheless their claims have been easily debunked and their veracity and significance have thus met with some scepticism by the experts and the officials. South Korea's defence ministry said last year the North's descriptions of the drones' capability had been exaggerated and they posed a less serious threat than the North's nuclear ballistic missiles tested several times in recent years. Japan's defence minister, Nobuo Kishi refused to comment on the latest test, saying he would not react to every North Korean provocation.
The test also comes amid stalled diplomatic efforts to denuclearise the Korean peninsula and ease tensions in the region. The U.S.-North Korea talks, which began in 2018 with a landmark summit between the then President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, have been stalled since a second summit in Hanoi in 2019 ended without a deal.
The Biden administration has said it is open for talks with Pyongyang but vowed to maintain a "stern deterrence" posture and coordinate closely with its allies. The North, however, has rejected any talks with the U.S. unless it drops its "hostile policy" and sanctions against it.
The test also comes as the Winter Olympics are set to begin in Beijing, with some analysts having hoped for an occasion of dialogue and engagement between the two Koreas and other regional powers.
But the North has yet to confirm on its participation in the games set to begin on February 4 — and it is showing no signs of easing on its confrontational stance. That could also complicate efforts by China, the North's main ally and benefactor to mediate the situation and maintain stability in its backyard.
The probable test of the nuclear weapons system underwater does set them and the world under pressure in red alert to address the North Korean nuclear problem and deal with them head on so as to ward off possible conflict in this part of the globe.
In short, it underlines the necessity of a comprehensive coordinated approach that will balance deterrence and diplomacy, that does include all of the relevant parties, including China and Russia. The test also draws attention on the urgency as well as the importance of finding a peaceful and lasting solution to the long states question in Korea that has, over decades, been a source of dividing and fuelling tension. –(IVNTV)