In reaction to the “joint military exercises” involving the United States, Japan, and South Korea, North Korea conducted a test of its underwater nuclear weapon system, as reported by the state-run media outlet, the Korean Central News Agency, on Friday.
The three nations’ “joint maritime exercises,” held in the waters near Jeju Island, are denounced as a source of increased regional destabilization and a “serious threat” to North Korea’s security by an unnamed spokesperson from the North Korean Ministry of Defense, as reported by KCNA.
Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, participates in the 10th session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang on January 15, 2024. (Image: KCNA via REUTERS)
In response to the perceived “serious threat,” North Korea conducted a test of its “Haeil 5-23” system, developed in the waters of the East Sea, as reported by the KCNA. The duration of the system’s development remains unclear.
In the preceding summer, North Korea test-fired intercontinental ballistic missiles into the East Sea, a move deemed a “clear violation” of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Concurrently, the U.S., South Korean, and Japanese militaries engaged in joint naval exercises, including the involvement of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier this week, according to the Associated Press.