North Korea announced that it has retested its nuclear submarine drone capable of generating radioactive tsunamis and said it had verified the reliability of the system and its “deadly” strike capability.
Pyongyang tested its weapon called “Haeil-2” (Tsunami-2 in Korean) between April 4 and 7, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported, in a new weapons test that coincides with the major military maneuvers that Seoul and Washington performed in those days on the Korean peninsula.
This is the third test announced by the Kim Jong-un regime since it first announced the existence of this new type of weapon, on March 24, which it called “Haeil-1” in previous tests.
The drone was launched from a port in northeastern South Hamyong province, traced an “oval-shaped-eight” trajectory for 71 hours “simulating a distance of 1,000 kilometers” in the Sea of Japan and detonated a dummy warhead in the target area, according to with KCNA.
As a result of the test, “the reliability and lethal strike capability of the strategic underwater system has been perfectly verified,” the North Korean state agency said.
This new weapon system “is essential to deter the evolution of various enemy military actions, eliminating threats and defending the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [nome oficial da Coreia do Norte]and will become the top military potential of our armed forces,” he added.
The state agency also released photos of the test, which show a torpedo-like device moving underwater and an underwater explosion.
After the March 24 announcement, some experts questioned whether Pyongyang could already have such a weapon in operational condition, which would be capable of generating a radioactive tsunami to hit enemy fleets and ports.
The test comes after Seoul reported that Pyongyang had not responded to regular phone calls made through civilian and military communication lines, and while South Korea and the United States conducted joint military exercises, which in recent days have included anti-submarine tests and the deployment of B-52 strategic bombers.