North Korea announces testing 2nd underwater nuclear-capable drone

North Korea has announced testing a second underwater nuclear attack drone, two weeks after declaring testing the first such vehicle that it has credited with being capable of unleashing a “radioactive tsunami.”

The North announced testing the Haeil-2 nuclear-capable drone on Saturday.

“A national defense science research institute in the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) carried out a test of an underwater strategic weapon system from April 4 to 7,” reported the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

“The underwater nuclear attack drone ‘Haeil-2’… cruised 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of simulated underwater distance,” it added.

The KCNA added that “the test warhead accurately detonated underwater. The test perfectly proved the reliability of the underwater strategic weapon system and its fatal attack ability.”

Western media outlets considered the test to be Pyongyang’s latest response to joint United States-South Korea military drills, which, most recently, saw the allies staging air drills involving at least one American nuclear-capable B-52H strategic bomber.

Pyongyang views the war games as potential rehearsals for the invasion of its territory.

On March 23, North Korea said it had tested its first underwater nuclear attack drone, and hailed that the weapon was capable of inflicting substantial damage on enemy targets.

According to the KCNA, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had personally overseen the test.

“This nuclear underwater attack drone can be deployed at any coast and port or towed by a surface ship for operation,” the report said at the time.

The weapon’s mission is to “stealthily infiltrate into operational waters and make a super-scale radioactive tsunami…to destroy naval striker groups and major operational ports of the enemy,” it added.

Ahead of the test, Kim urged the enhancement of the country’s nuclear force’s capability to the level of becoming ready for an actual “attack” against the enemy.