{"id":5622,"date":"2023-04-08T15:50:38","date_gmt":"2023-04-08T15:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=5622"},"modified":"2023-04-08T15:50:38","modified_gmt":"2023-04-08T15:50:38","slug":"north-korea-conducts-another-test-of-underwater-nuclear-drone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/asia\/asia-pacific\/north-korea\/north-korea-conducts-another-test-of-underwater-nuclear-drone\/2023\/04\/08\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"North Korea conducts another test of underwater nuclear drone"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEOUL,<\/span> South<\/span> Korea<\/span> (Reuters)<\/span> \u2014<\/span> North<\/span> Korea<\/span> on<\/span> Saturday<\/span> claimed<\/span> it<\/span> tested<\/span> this<\/span> week<\/span> a<\/span> second<\/span> known<\/span> type<\/span> of<\/span> nuclear-capable<\/span> underwater<\/span> attack<\/span> drone<\/span> designed<\/span> to<\/span> destroy<\/span> naval<\/span> vessels<\/span> and<\/span> ports,<\/span> adding<\/span> to<\/span> a<\/span> flurry<\/span> of<\/span> weapons<\/span> demonstrations<\/span> this<\/span> year<\/span> that<\/span> have<\/span> heightened<\/span> tensions<\/span> with<\/span> rivals.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> report<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> four-day<\/span> test<\/span> came<\/span> a<\/span> day<\/span> after<\/span> the<\/span> nuclear<\/span> envoys<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States,<\/span> South<\/span> Korea<\/span> and<\/span> Japan<\/span> met<\/span> in<\/span> Seoul<\/span> to<\/span> discuss<\/span> the<\/span> growing<\/span> North<\/span> Korean<\/span> nuclear<\/span> threat<\/span> and<\/span> called<\/span> for<\/span> stronger<\/span> international<\/span> efforts<\/span> to<\/span> crack<\/span> down<\/span> on<\/span> illicit<\/span> North<\/span> Korean<\/span> activities<\/span> funding<\/span> its<\/span> weapons<\/span> program.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> North’s<\/span> official<\/span> Korean<\/span> Central<\/span> News<\/span> Agency<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> drone,<\/span> named<\/span> \u201cHaeil-2\u201d<\/span> after<\/span> a<\/span> Korean<\/span> word<\/span> meaning<\/span> tsunamis<\/span> or<\/span> tidal<\/span> waves,<\/span> traveled<\/span> underwater<\/span> for<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 71<\/span> hours<\/span> before<\/span> successfully<\/span> detonating<\/span> a<\/span> mock<\/span> warhead<\/span> in<\/span> waters<\/span> near<\/span> the<\/span> eastern<\/span> port<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Tanchon<\/span> on<\/span> Friday.<\/span> KCNA<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> test<\/span> proved<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> weapon<\/span> could<\/span> strike<\/span> targets<\/span> 1,000<\/span> kilometers<\/span> (621<\/span> miles)<\/span> away<\/span> with<\/span> \u201cfatal<\/span> attack<\/span> ability.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>North<\/span> Korean<\/span> state<\/span> media<\/span> last<\/span> month<\/span> reported<\/span> two<\/span> tests<\/span> of<\/span> another<\/span> drone,<\/span> named<\/span> \u201cHaeil-1,\u201d<\/span> and<\/span> described<\/span> the<\/span> weapon<\/span> as<\/span> capable<\/span> of<\/span> setting<\/span> off<\/span> a<\/span> \u201cradioactive<\/span> tsunami\u201d<\/span> to<\/span> destroy<\/span> enemy<\/span> vessels<\/span> and<\/span> ports.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Analysts,<\/span> however,<\/span> are<\/span> skeptical<\/span> whether<\/span> such<\/span> a<\/span> device<\/span> would<\/span> add<\/span> a<\/span> meaningful<\/span> new<\/span> threat<\/span> to<\/span> North<\/span> Korea’s<\/span> growing<\/span> nuclear<\/span> arsenal<\/span> built<\/span> around<\/span> missiles<\/span> and<\/span> whether<\/span> it’s<\/span> reasonable<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> North<\/span> to<\/span> pursue<\/span> such<\/span> capabilities<\/span> considering<\/span> its<\/span> still-limited<\/span> supplies<\/span> of<\/span> nuclear<\/span> bomb<\/span> fuel.<\/span> The<\/span> South<\/span> Korean<\/span> military<\/span> said<\/span> it<\/span> believed<\/span> North<\/span> Korea’s<\/span> claims<\/span> about<\/span> Hale-1<\/span> were<\/span> likely<\/span> “exaggerated<\/span> or<\/span> fabricated.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>On<\/span> Friday,<\/span> U.S.<\/span> President<\/span> Joe<\/span> Biden’s<\/span> special<\/span> envoy<\/span> to<\/span> North<\/span> Korea<\/span> Sung<\/span> Kim<\/span> met<\/span> with<\/span> his<\/span> South<\/span> Korean<\/span> and<\/span> Japanese<\/span> counterparts<\/span> in<\/span> Seoul<\/span> to<\/span> support<\/span> North<\/span> Korea’s<\/span> efforts<\/span> to<\/span> evade<\/span> UN<\/span> Security<\/span> Council<\/span> sanctions.<\/span> issued<\/span> a<\/span> joint<\/span> statement<\/span> calling<\/span> for<\/span> increased<\/span> international<\/span> support<\/span> to<\/span> Curb<\/span> ambition<\/span> for<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> envoy<\/span> expressed<\/span> particular<\/span> concern<\/span> about<\/span> North<\/span> Korea’s<\/span> cybercrime<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> export<\/span> of<\/span> illegal<\/span> workers,<\/span> which<\/span> could<\/span> potentially<\/span> increase<\/span> if<\/span> Seoul<\/span> opens<\/span> its<\/span> borders<\/span> further<\/span> amid<\/span> concerns<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> mitigation<\/span> of<\/span> COVID-19.<\/span> It<\/span> says<\/span> there<\/span> is<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> 2023<\/span> alone,<\/span> North<\/span> Korea<\/span> has<\/span> launched<\/span> about<\/span> 30<\/span> missiles<\/span> in<\/span> her<\/span> 11<\/span> different<\/span> launch<\/span> events.<\/span> This<\/span> includes<\/span> intercontinental<\/span> ballistic<\/span> missiles<\/span> that<\/span> have<\/span> shown<\/span> potential<\/span> range<\/span> to<\/span> reach<\/span> the<\/span> U.S.<\/span> mainland,<\/span> and<\/span> several<\/span> short-range<\/span> weapons<\/span> designed<\/span> for<\/span> nuclear<\/span> strikes<\/span> on<\/span> South<\/span> Korean<\/span> targets.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) \u2014 North Korea on Saturday claimed it tested this week a second known type of nuclear-capable underwater attack drone designed to destroy naval vessels and ports, adding to a flurry of weapons demonstrations this year that have heightened tensions with rivals. The report of the four-day test came a day after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[2436,26,276,2437],"tags":[2576,2577,2579,2581,2582,2583,2584,3534,3535,1551,3536,1552,2571,2572,2573,2574,2575],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/KOREANDRONE.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5622"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5622"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5625,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5622\/revisions\/5625"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}