“Tsunami” from North Korea

Pyongyang has successfully tested a new weapon, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The test was personally overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper published photos of Kim Jong Un smiling next to a large torpedo-like object at an indoor facility.

According to KCNA, North Korea has been developing the drone since 2021, with more than 50 tests conducted in the past two years, but its existence has only recently been made public. In the latest test, the “radioactive tsunami” weapon was deployed off the east coast of North Korea, traveling underwater for nearly 60 hours and detonating a test warhead at a simulated enemy port.

There are still many unknowns surrounding the "Tsunami", but one thing that has been confirmed by the North Korean side is that the new weapon can be deployed from the shore or towed by surface ships. It is designed to secretly penetrate into the seas and create a large-scale radioactive wave through an underwater explosion to destroy important enemy fleets and operational ports.

Analysts suspect the device could pose a major threat if it were capable of triggering a radioactive ocean wave that would wipe out all life in the affected area, turning the area into a “dead zone.” More importantly, it is believed to be capable of reaching all ports in South Korea .

According to Defense News, North Korea’s test comes as the US plans to deploy an aircraft carrier strike group and other advanced assets to waters off the Korean Peninsula. Military tensions are at a peak as the frequency of North Korea’s weapons tests and joint US-South Korean military exercises have both increased rapidly in a “tit-for-tat” response cycle.

In March, South Korea and the United States conducted the 11-day “Freedom Shield” joint military exercise, the largest between the two allies in years. In response, North Korea conducted seven missile tests in March alone, including the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

With the test of the "Tsunami", many experts believe that North Korea wants to affirm that its nuclear deterrent is no longer limited to the air. However, many South Korean and Western analysts are skeptical about the true power of the underwater attack weapon. Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said it was impossible to verify North Korea's claims about the drone's capabilities, or that Pyongyang had tested the system dozens of times.

Ankit Panda, a senior analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace , said the unmanned underwater vehicle would be vulnerable to anti-submarine warfare if deployed outside North Korea’s coastal waters. It would also be vulnerable to preemptive strikes if it entered an enemy port.

However, according to news.com.au, this special weapon reminds many people of the nuclear torpedo that Russia developed called Poseidon - one of 6 types of so-called "super weapons" announced by President Vladimir Putin.

There is not much public information about the Poseidon torpedo, but it is essentially a combination of a traditional torpedo and an underwater drone that can be launched from a nuclear submarine. Similar to the stealth capabilities of the "Tsunami", the Poseidon can penetrate enemy waters at great depths. It can accelerate to lose the enemy when detected and then return to a low-speed stealth mode. The torpedo has an unlimited range and will explode when it reaches its target. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that "no weapon" can counter or destroy a nuclear torpedo.

Although it is not yet possible to confirm whether "Tsunami" is really similar to Poseidon or not, one thing is certain: the information that North Korea possesses a weapon capable of creating destructive waves will have the same impact as a missile launch, causing some countries with many seaports in the region to be wary.

NGOC HAN

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