U.S. Tries to Check North Korea’s Ongoing Submarine-Launched Nuclear Test

The U.S. government recently stated that it is currently difficult to confirm the veracity of North Korea’s announcement regarding the testing of its underwater nuclear weapons system.

John Kirby, the White House National Security Council (NSC) Strategic Communications Coordinator, stated at a briefing on the 19th (local time), “We do not have a lot of specific information,” and “We are not in a position to verify such claims.”

Coordinator Kirby added, “We are in touch with the South Korean government to understand what information and circumstances they have,” and “We cannot confirm North Korea’s claim that they have tested such a weapon.”

He continued, “The provocations that the Kim Jong-un regime has continued to pursue are a persistent problem, regardless of their veracity,” and criticized, “It is true that they have been seeking advanced military capabilities to threaten neighboring countries and the region.”

He also mentioned that the Camp David agreement between the three leaders of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, as well as the establishment of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) with South Korea, were significant measures to strengthen alliances in the region.

In response to a question regarding the likelihood that North Korean Workers’ Party General Secretary Kim Jong-un’s threats of nuclear and military aggression would materialize, Coordinator Kirby stated, “We must take seriously the rhetoric of a person who is responsible for a system that continues to pursue advanced military capabilities, including nuclear capabilities.”

Coordinator Kirby pointed out that there have been several mentions of the close ties between North Korea and Russia, including meetings between their foreign ministers, and this is a concern not just for the people of Ukraine but also for the U.S. and the Korean Peninsula.

On the same day, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense told News1, which asked about North Korea’s announcement, “We do not comment on intelligence matters,” and “We are monitoring such activities.”

On the 19th (Korean time), a spokesperson for the North Korean Ministry of National Defense announced that they had tested the ‘Haeil-5-23’, an underwater nuclear weapons system, characterizing the recent joint naval exercise in the Jeju Sea by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan as “an act that seriously threatens national security.”

By, Eun Mi Won