North's Upgraded Nuclear Torpedo 'Haeil-2' Tested... Aiming to Evade Surveillance Network?

No Response for Two Consecutive Days in Regular Military Communication Line Calls between North Korea's West and East Seas

North Korea conducted an underwater explosion test of the nuclear unmanned underwater attack vehicle known as the 'Haeil,' a nuclear unmanned underwater attack submarine. This is the third underwater explosion test publicly disclosed by North Korea.

The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 8th that the National Defense Science Research Institute conducted an underwater strategic weapon system test from the 4th to the 7th. The Haeil-2 model submerged for 71 hours and 6 minutes, traveling 1000 km to reach the target virtual waters off Ryongdae Port, Dancheon City, South Hamgyong Province, and then the test warhead was precisely detonated underwater.

North Korea announced that it conducted a detonation test of the nuclear unmanned underwater attack vehicle "Haeil," known as an "underwater nuclear torpedo." North Korea's Korean Central TV reported on the 8th that the defense science research institute carried out an underwater strategic weapon system test from the 4th to the 7th.

The agency stated, "This strategic weapon system is essential for deterring and eliminating various evolving military actions of the enemy and defending the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," adding, "It will become a superior military potential of our armed forces."

This is the third underwater explosion test of the Haeil publicly disclosed by North Korea. In this test, the submerged time was 71 hours and 6 minutes, which is 11 hours and 54 minutes longer than the first test and 29 hours and 39 minutes longer than the second test. Given that the name changed to 'Haeil-2,' it is presumed that an improved version of the nuclear underwater torpedo was used. Additionally, North Korea appears to be developing nuclear unmanned underwater attack vehicles in various forms.

Experts view the increased submerged time and distance as an attempt to evade the surveillance posture of South Korea and the United States. If the submerged distance reaches 1000 km, it could potentially bypass international waters and strike directly down to the southern coast, not just the east coast. If the route of the hard-to-detect underwater weapon forms outside the surveillance network, responding becomes more difficult.

North Korea announced that it conducted a detonation test of the nuclear unmanned underwater attack vehicle "Haeil," known as an "underwater nuclear torpedo." North Korea's Korean Central TV reported on the 8th that the defense science research institute carried out an underwater strategic weapon system test from the 4th to the 7th.

The mention of "deterring enemy military actions" is interpreted as an intention to oppose the combined anti-submarine warfare exercises by South Korea, the United States, and Japan. On the 3rd and 4th, the navies of South Korea and the United States, along with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, conducted anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue drills. These exercises were held to enhance capabilities against underwater threats such as submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). North Korea is believed to be accelerating the development of unmanned underwater attack vehicles, a component of anti-submarine warfare, to clearly oppose the strengthening of security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

However, the military is reportedly closely examining the facts, considering that signs of North Korea's recent test were not clearly revealed in advance. A military official said, "We have continuously tracked North Korea's weapons development trends and are analyzing North Korea's public reports."

North Korea unveiled the Haeil on the 24th of last month, stating, "It was named 'Nuclear Unmanned Underwater Attack Vehicle Haeil' at the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, and over the past two years since the Party Congress, it has undergone more than 50 various final-stage tests." On the 28th of last month, North Korea also revealed the tactical nuclear warhead 'Hwasan-31' for the first time and announced that it conducted an underwater explosion test of the 'Haeil-1' model.

On the 6th, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop responded at the National Assembly's National Defense Committee regarding countermeasures against nuclear unmanned underwater attack vehicles, stating, "We fundamentally have the capability to detect those infiltrating underwater."

Meanwhile, North Korea has not responded to regular calls on the West and East Sea military communication lines for two consecutive days. Since the 7th, North Korea has not answered the opening calls on the military communication lines for two consecutive days. South and North Korea usually conduct regular opening calls at 9 a.m. and closing calls at 5 p.m. daily through the joint liaison office channel, and military authorities also communicate with the North via military communication lines at the same times.

North Korea's non-response may be due to technical issues in the North's communication line section, but some speculate that it could also be a reaction to recent South Korea-U.S. joint exercises, the deployment of U.S. strategic assets, and the release of the North Korean human rights report.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.