N. Korea boasts of underwater weapon

North Korea claimed a successful test of its new ‘radioactive tsunami’ weapon early Friday morning, as Kim Jung Un vowed to make the U.S. and South Korea “plunge into despair.”

The weapon is reportedly a nuclear-capable underwater drone, which can create gigantic waves meant to destroy naval strike groups and ports.

Analysts were not convinced the new weapon poses any real immediate threat, but underscores North Korea’s commitment to continue nuclear threats against its enemies.

Kim Dong-yub, a professor at Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies said that there’s no way to verify the true capabilities of the weapon, but the announcement suggests its range allows it to reach all South Korean ports.

Military tensions between the countries appear to be ramping up, as North Korean weapons tests and U.S.South Korean military exercises have escalated in the past year.

This latest weapons test follows reports that the U.S. military plans to deploy aircraft carriers and other assets to waters off the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said the ‘radioactive tsunami’ tests were an effort to alert the United States and South Korea of the possibility of a “nuclear crisis” as they continue with their “intentional, persistent and provocative war drills.”

KCN said the tests were supervised by North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, who was satisfied with the results and plans for additional demonstrations and implied continued nuclear testing.

Kim “expressed his will to make the U.S. imperialists and the [South] Korean puppet regime plunge into despair,” and added “they are bound to lose more than they get,” with their military drills, reported KCN.

The report was followed hours later by South Korea sharing news of its own military exercise that displayed its readiness to deter such a threat.

The air force detailed joint aerial drills with the United States that ran Monday to Friday and involved live-fire tests of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.

North Korea is coming off a year of unprecedented nuclear testing, with over 70 missiles fired in 2022.