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The presidential office announced, on the 21st, about North Korea’s announcement that it had tested an underwater nuclear weapons system, “Based on our comprehensive analysis so far, we are leaning towards the possibility that the North’s claims are exaggerated and manipulated.”
A presidential office official said on the day, “If it was tested, it is presumed to be a kind of torpedo, and the possibility of it being a nuclear propulsion system is very slim,” and “There are no known cases of developing a small reactor that could fit into a torpedo less than 1m in diameter.”
However, this official explained, “The situation is limited in verifying the truth as North Korea has not released photo materials.”
The official stated that the veracity of North Korea’s assertions is not the primary concern. Instead, the focus is on consistently tracking and monitoring the development trends of North Korea’s nuclear torpedoes and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). This surveillance is conducted through the collaborative efforts of Korea-US joint Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR).
Furthermore, the official emphasized that their military already possesses overwhelming strike capabilities against the launch bases of these weapon systems, which can be employed in an emergency. He added that there are plans to strengthen the anti-submarine force and port defense further.
He also said, “North Korea claimed to have launched an Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) equipped with a hypersonic missile on January 14,” and “Our military has the capabilities to detect and intercept any missiles North Korea possesses based on our joint ISR assets and missile defense system.”
He added, “We will accelerate the construction of a multi-layered defense system to counter the rapidly advancing North Korean missile capabilities.”
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