North Korea has test-fired a new type of torpedo in the East Sea, state media reported Tuesday, saying it plans to deploy the system with its Navy in early 2027.

Fencing believed to have been recently erected by the North Korean military to fortify the border lines the coast of Kaepung County, Hwanghae Province, in this view from Aegibong Observatory in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 28, 2026. (Yonhap)
Fencing believed to have been recently erected by the North Korean military to fortify the border lines the coast of Kaepung County, Hwanghae Province, in this view from Aegibong Observatory in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 28, 2026. (Yonhap)

The Academy of Defense Sciences, the Missile Administration and the Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau "verified the combat effectiveness" of the new high-speed torpedo system Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The test was part of the "obligatory activities" of the defense research institutes to put weapons technology "on a highly-developed basis," it added.

The North gave no further details on the torpedo's specifications.

Pyongyang has been pushing to strengthen its naval capabilities with a string of weapons tests.

Last month, it conducted an underwater test of a new high-speed, precision-guided torpedo that uses artificial intelligence technology, calling it a "significant" change in its naval capabilities. It also fired two types of strategic cruise missiles from what was presumed to be a 3,000-ton submarine in the East Sea.

In June, it commissioned the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer in the Yellow Sea, followed by the 5,000-ton Kang Kon destroyer in the East Sea in September.

At the Choe Hyon's commissioning ceremony in June, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the Navy "is rising into a full-fledged service equipped with strategic means as the program of equipping the Navy with nuclear weapons is following its planned course unerringly." (Yonhap)